Where did it go wrong?
by Aria Morid
Summary: Going Zenith left its marks. It influences their lives and their missions. Their perception of what's right and wrong are skewed, but is it because of who they are or because of who they work for? The Guardians learn not every evil is wrong, or every good is right.
1. Chapter 1 Where did it go wrong?

**Chapter 1 Vacation is over**

Winter vacation was finally over and it was exactly what the doctor prescribed. We definitely needed this break. If I remember correctly, we haven't had a single break ever since this Guardian gig started. Our first winter vacation had been filled with Phobos. Nerissa quickly followed, taking our summer break like she didn't care. Now that I think about it, chances are high she really didn't give a damn about our vacation. So yes, I for one am glad to have had two weeks with my friends and boyfriend without getting beeped by Kandrakar. Maybe they put evil on hold for us. Or maybe they were just busy redecorating after we kind of used the place as a ruse to get Phobos to lose his powers. And of course Nerissa's attack on the place didn't make it look any better.

So today, the day started as pretty much any other school day should start. My alarm clock being turned off by a very groggy me, before falling back into my bed. It tried to wake me by using its extremely nasal voice to warn me I would be late, but as I do with all my electric appliances, I just threatened to throw it out if it wouldn't shut up. This was a cue for my very cheerful mother to burst in and take my blankets, letting the cold of the winter touch me.

After our usual banter I kissed her goodbye and rushed to school, with my breakfast half eaten between my teeth and my hands clamping the steer of my bike. A nice slide and an abrupt brake made a few students jump away as they saw me storming past and I barely managed to park my bike before the school bell rang. I exited the bike stalls to see my friends grinning at me. Even Irma stood leisurely next to the door, grinning with mirth.

"My, aren't you on time," she said.

I stuck my tongue out at her and the group grinned as we continued our way. I admit I was a bit disappointed not to see Matt with them, but I reminded myself that he always had the first period off on Mondays. It was one of the few things I envied about him. Too bad the envy wouldn't help me past the morning classes. Cornelia and I shared them, which may have been my blessing. I tended to nod off during morning classes, but with Cornelia discretely using her telekinesis to keep me awake, I managed to do just that. Besides, our second class was the one with the new teacher.

Somewhere during the winter break, Sheffield Institute decided that its students needed an education in computer technology. It sounded more interesting than it is. We learn the basics of using a computer, the things I teach my mother when she believes the computer is haunted again (no it's not. George, my computer, just acts up whenever he believes I need some quality time with my mother. To be honest, I don't mind him doing that, but the headaches I get from explaining my mother how Facebook works...). You would expect students to complain. We were, after all, born in the age when these things came up. We wear raised to use them. But the school board had figured out a way to keep us silent. By placing an enigmatic, charming teacher in front of the class. Professor Ralph Sylla, with his half-short blond hair, his charming glasses and his rough stubble, he could make the girls swoon and with his humour and stories, the boys idolized him.

I admit, he had me blushing as well. I don't want to brag, but computers are my thing. If I wanted I could pull stuff from the databanks of the Pentagon without anyone knowing it was me (thanks to my magic). So I couldn't help it to finish my assignments a little – read a lot – earlier than the rest of my fellow classmates. And yes, I felt a blush creep to my cheeks when he stood next to me and crouched, looking at me with his indigo blue eyes. I am also quite sure my blush deepened when he praised me in front of the class and gave me the highest mark we could get. Cornelia's raised eyebrow was the only reason I felt a pang of guilt at all.

"Magic wasn't for mundane things, huh?" she said when we walked out of the class.

I nudged her and looked around, before giving her a mild glare.

"You were using it to keep me awake!"

Her smile was one Irma would usually wear, the kind of conspiratorially smile that would always make my gut churn in unwanted anticipation.

"I figured keeping our leader awake during the most testing hours of the day wouldn't be such a problem," she said.

I shrugged. Honestly, my opinion about not using magic outside of Guardian business had changed over the past year. I actually started to think about it the moment I got my magic. I can't turn the talking appliances off, no matter how hard I try. I just don't have to pay attention and before I know it, a watch is talking to me. And after the whole 'altermere' disaster I figured perhaps it would be better to just allow it. And tell each other if something as big as an Astral Drop is being made or done. That way, we're at least prepared if anything would go wrong. The others agreed to this new line of thinking. So I knew Cornelia was merely teasing me if anything.

"Good morning! Did you survive the first classes of the new year?"

I looked up, seeing Irma, Taranee and Hay Lin walking up to us. Irma was still in her exceptional good mood, most likely because she'd been expecting me to pout. That girl was more sadistic than she let on. Taranee smiled friendly at me and a small roll of her eyes as she nudged her head at Irma. I raised an eyebrow and looked at our extremely good-nurtured friend. As I did, I only absentmindedly noticed Hay Lin scrawling on her arm, most likely still in her morning daze.

"What got you in such a good mood?" I said.

Irma flashed me a grin and puffed out her chest. I could feel my eyes roll as I prepared for a brag.

"You're looking at the one who is going out for dinner at one of the most expensive and greatest restaurants in town. My dad got a promotion and the whole family is invited."

"She's been listing off the menu ever since we asked her," Taranee said.

"Poor you," I said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Irma hadn't noticed a thing as she had indeed returned to listing off the various dishes the restaurant had to offer. Cornelia raised an eyebrow and I could just see her contemplate if she wanted to interrupt Irma and start a fight this early, or not.

"So, you guys had the new teacher, right?"

I grinned faintly at Taranee, quite sure she had picked up the incoming fight as well. Her question made Irma stop rattling and even got Hay Lin to look up. I felt an undesirable blush coming up, especially when Cornelia started talking.

"Oh yeah. Sylla is really, quite charming, isn't he Will?"

I glared darkly at her, but Cornelia batted her long eyelashes at me, as if asking if she'd said anything wrong. I couldn't repay her for her kind words as the others had turned their attention to me. My blush, which had been barely visible, was now rapidly growing brighter, causing the three remaining girls to crow in delight.

"He praised her for her computer skills and she's been sighing ever since," Cornelia said.

"Thinking about those deep blue eyes?" Taranee said.

I looked shocked at Taranee, before remembering her very, very obnoxious gift of mind reading.

"Taranee!"

I slapped her on her arm, while the others giggled loudly.

"Deep blue eyes? Were you thinking about me?"

My blush turned even deeper, only not out of embarrassment but out of guilt. I turned around to see Matt walking towards us. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me on my forehead, before looking around the group.

"Unfortunately, lover boy, we were talking about Will's crush on the new teacher," Irma said.

"Oh?"

I could sense Matt stiffening a bit, his voice dragging a bit of jealousy. I grabbed his arms and pulled them closer to me.

"I don't have a crush. His eyes were just very noticeable," I said.

"And his rough stubble that accentuates his chin?" Hay Lin said.

My shock at Hay Lin's less than subtle revelation about another feature of our professor which I had thought to be charming turned quickly to anger as I glared at Taranee. Taranee however was raising her hands in defence, already knowing I was blaming her for this blatant show of privacy breach.

"It wasn't me," she said.

"Then who?" I said. "Who else could have known aside from your poking around and Cornelia being there?"

"I...just picked it up from you."

My anger quickly disappeared as confusion took its place. I released myself from Matt's embrace and looked at Hay Lin, who looked as surprised at this as the rest of us. It was unfortunate that we couldn't continue our conversation as the bell rang for the third period and we separated once again. That was not entirely true. We did continue our conversation telepathically, along with multiple tests during our lessons. This of course meant that we didn't pay a lot of attention during the classes. Not even Taranee, who would have scolded us for our scholastic behaviour, or lack of, was paying attention. And so, when lunch break came about, we figured out a few of things. Each of us was capable of starting a telepathic conversation without first asking Taranee to link us through. We could effectively exclude people from our conversations, making it so Taranee, Cornelia, Irma, Hay Lin or even myself couldn't hear or enter a conversation unannounced. This was something Irma and Hay Lin enjoyed very much, as it opened their possibilities of cheating without Taranee scolding them mentally. And we figured out that Taranee had become capable of reading the thoughts of others. When we figured this out, Taranee admitted as well that she had been noticing a buzz for the past few days but hadn't realized it had been because of the people thinking around her.

This of course brought new concerns along the way. The thing is, last time we noticed a power up, I kept on shocking Matt, Irma accidentally made it rain, Cornelia moved more things than she could remember and Hay Lin nearly got hit by a car who couldn't see her. So the conclusion was easily made, while in school we would discreetly check if and how our powers were augmented. And afterwards, we'd go to Meridian and see how exactly this was effecting us in both human as well as in Guardian form. Hopefully Elyon wouldn't mind us using the soldier training grounds.

Even though we had decided all this in the span of two periods, we were having a light discussion during lunch. I filled Matt in on the things we figured out, which alarmed him a bit. Hay Lin was talking with Eric about his potential place in Matt's band, which he'd been asked for during the break. Taranee was simply enjoying Nigel's presence as she leaned into him while reading a book while he passively leaned into her. Irma was talking with Martin about the radio show and Cornelia and Alchemy were talking about how they should spend more time together. If anything, it looked like a very normal lunch of a group of very normal teenagers. Yet I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. And not essentially in a good way. I also spent my lunch convincing Matt that the girls were teasing me about Sylla, which he in the end seemed to accept.

A good thing too, because having him brood upon it while we were gone would only make him grumpier when we returned. And with gone, I meant Guardian business gone. You'd think your peace will last, but apparently Kandrakar had different thoughts about it.

"Will, I don't know if it's a new feature on your phone, but your necklace is flashing," Alchemy said.

I flushed red and automatically grabbed for the Heart, hiding its lights and annoying buzzing from anyone else looking at me. I flashed her an apologetic smile.

"It's just a toy my mom bought, you know. It looks exactly like my normal necklace, but this one buzzes randomly and I'm supposed to text her when it does. A very annoying way to let me think of her," I said.

A very flimsy lie, especially as everyone else had seen the Heart beforehand. I could already see a few raised eyebrows and I prayed none would question it. Luck, however, was not at my side and I could see Martin opening his mouth. My stomach churned and I winced slightly as he spoke up.

"I've never heard of such a device. In fact, your necklace seemed rather unique to me."

My mind went blank and I could only think of even worse excuses. I could not handle an identity breach right now. Kandrakar would most likely have a word or two ready for this. I turned to Martin, formulating my most feasible excuse when Irma spoke up.

"Oh come on Martin, of course you've seen it before. You showed it to me on the computer, remember?"

My heart stopped shortly. I could practically see Martin's eyes glaze over, much like I'd seen with enthralled people. Martin started to nod, apologizing for being so forgetful. I looked at Irma but before I could even convey my worries I noticed something that truly horrified me. Eric, Nigel and Alchemy shared the same misty look and nodded as well. Eric even muttered something about having seen the necklace as well. I now was no longer the only one looking at Irma. The others all gave her a look of surprise, along with what seemed to be anger.

The bell rang, signalling the end of the lunch break and giving us the chance to say goodbye. The others still seemed to be in the daze Irma had put them in. I eyed Matt, hoping he got my message. He nodded and ushered the four dazed teens towards the classes we also were supposed to follow. We quickly hid at a toilet, knowing it would run empty within seconds. The moment the last occupant left, I created a fold. We went through it without transforming. I figured it would be safer to transform in Kandrakar instead.

The moment we entered Kandrakar, we didn't enter any peace. Cornelia was the first to speak, but both Hay Lin and Taranee quickly added their voices, creating a new level of noise in the usual serene halls where I had folded us to.

"How could you-"

"How did you-"

"Were you even-"

"Enough!" I said.

Irma, for once in her life time, was stepping back, hunching behind me while the other three were close to attacking her. I stepped a little bit more towards the three-headed hound to give Irma a bit of space, but I was sharing the same questions. When the three calmed down, if only for a bit, I turned to Irma. Irma was still a little pale and I could see her lips muttering the words 'I'm sorry' until she realized that I was also looking at her.

"What happened?" I said.

Irma winced a bit, before seemingly finding her confidence once again. She straightened her back and the familiar pout of her 'Well I didn't do anything wrong' face came to be. I crossed my arms as I awaited her explanation and I could see her squirm just a little under my gaze. I repressed a grin.

"I... I was just trying to make your terrible lie more believable. How should I know it would work on everyone?" she said.

I agreed partially with her. We figured about just an hour ago out that our powers had gotten another boost, for Kandrakar knows what reason. It made sense that Irma wouldn't have thought about it. It wouldn't be the first time she would forget something they only recently talked about. It however, was no excuse for Cornelia.

"Listen here you water head. We just figured out our powers have grown again and you decide to use it on our friends without a second thought?"

"Listen here Blondie! I just forgot! I didn't think about it."

"You never think, you bloated sponge."

"Like you can, with your limited amount of brain cells left."

I internally groaned. How could these two have been friends for so long before I intervened? I could see that both Hay Lin as well as Taranee had just accepted Irma's explanation and were now just silently begging me to stop them. I rubbed my eyes, wishing I could have just one day without a pity fight between those two. I mentally prepared to pull them apart, as their nicknames for one another became more and more profound. I just didn't need to stop them as an Elder came walking at us.

A small smile of relief formed on my lips as Tibor walked towards us. His bushy eyebrows were kneaded in a frown and his features told me he was all but happy to see us. Neither Cornelia not Irma saw him approach, resulting in both of them jumping out of their skin when his deep, thunderous voice echoed around us.

"What is all this ruckus in these sacred halls?"

I raised an indiscrete eyebrow. Kandrakar has had more ruckus in the past year than just a pair of squabbling teenagers. In my opinion he was being a bit unjust, but it effectively shut them up, so you wouldn't hear me complain. Having said that, I did want to share my opinions when I saw Tibor's condescending glare as he looked us over.

"Why aren't you in your uniform?"

Even his tone was patronizing. I hid my own sneer and bowed a bit apologetically.

"I'm sorry. We were in the middle of school and I figured it would safer to transform here instead of blowing our cover on Earth."

I was careful to hide my sarcasm, but Irma's and Hay Lin's soft snickering still managed to make me smirk. I was glad Tibor hadn't noticed anything for he only looked annoyed and shrugged a bit.

"Fine. But you have to look presentable for the Oracle and the Council. Transform, if you please."

I nodded, turning to the others. They all shared the same look. 'Who spit in his beans?'. I once again smirked before saying the two words that would transform us to the Guardians of Kandrakar. Tibor had been so kind as to turn his back to us while we transformed, much unlike Caleb or Matt, who always ogled us as we transformed. Once the lights dimmed down, Tibor turned briefly to us as we landed. He gestured us to follow, before walking away. We once again shared a look before following him.

As we did, I noticed that Kandrakar had repaired itself pretty quickly. Then again, I faintly remembered them saying something about Kandrakar being in and out of time at the same time. Maybe they used that strange time magic to rebuild the fortress. Maybe even fortified it just a little bit more. At least, I hoped.

Tibor opened two large doors and I actually had to make an effort to keep my face straight. I also had the faintest of feelings I would be the only one of us five. I could hear Cornelia take a deep breath and Irma and Hay Lin whispering a soft 'wow'. I was even sure that Taranee's mouth had fallen open. I would have done the same, but all the judging looks that went our way made me reconsider. But it was truly difficult. For this was the first time we all saw the full Council of Kandrakar. The room wherein we had met Tibor, Alfor, Halinor and the Oracle was filled to the bring with numerous different alien species, all looking considerably old. And all of them glaring at us like we were criminals. Even the Oracle's friendly smile seemed to have waned.

The stares followed us and uneasiness settled within me as the five of us walked towards the Oracle. A round of whispers buzzed around us and I didn't need to understand the language to understand the sentiment. I didn't know how we did it, but somehow we managed to get the whole of Kandrakar discontent with us. I felt how the others closed the distance between us. Their presence so close to me at least gave me a feeling I wasn't completely alone. The feeling I was getting was similar to the one you get when presenting in front of the class. Only this class was at least a hundred times bigger and more hostile than your average high school class.

"Guardians, we have summoned you for two reasons, one which gives us great concerns."

I kept my face straight, but my stomach made a flip. Somehow, I didn't believe that their concern was about whatever new threat we were about to face. I remained silent as the Oracle looked at us. The angry buzzing of murmurs had stopped, but the glares where still hounding us. I didn't dare to look around and instead continued to stare into the eyes of the Oracle. Past him I could see a few Council members looking even more upset with me than they already were.

"We have noticed an unusual increase in your powers."

My eyes widened. I thought Kandrakar was aware that our powers would increase, like they were last time. The fact that this was a reason for them to summon us, made me uneasy. As far as I knew there were but two ways to increase in power. Either by training, which we largely neglected during our winter break, or by adding a Heart to your collection. And trust me, we hadn't been doing that either.

"You mean, you aren't the cause of our new power up?"

I glanced at Irma, who as per usual, couldn't keep her thoughts to herself. The fact that she had opened her mouth seemed to cause an uproar amongst the Council members. Few of them stood up, hollering at her. They yelled and jeered, claiming that her remark had been out of place. That she should now her place and that only I was allowed to speak and only when the Oracle asked. I frowned deeply as Irma looked positively aghast at what was happening around us. I stepped forward, blocking Irma and the others as I spread my arms and glared with as much venom as I could back at the stands. More ruckus followed until the Oracle raised his hand.

"When did you become aware of this increase in powers?" he said after the giant room had recovered its silence.

"Just today," I said. "By accident we noticed that our telepathy was working differently than before and how Irma's mind suggestion has become stronger."

"Anything else?" the Oracle said.

I shook my head. "Not as far as we know. But we were planning to find out over the course of the day and practice after school in Meridian."

Again I could see several sneers of dislike. Really, what was wrong with these people?

"How were you planning on 'finding out', if I may ask?" one of the older Council members said.

To be honest, I didn't really feel like answering. Not after the way they treated Irma for speaking up. I pursed my lips, pretending I didn't hear him until my gaze once again crossed that of the Oracle. His eyes were cold and by the slight tugging of his lips and balling of his hands, I figured that answering might perhaps be a better option.

"Our secondary powers are largely innocent. Irma's power is by far the most dangerous and that one got tested by accident, so it was no longer needed. Our plans were mostly meant for Hay Lin and for me. We figured that perhaps Hay Lin could turn others, or other things, invisible without her turning invisible as well and that I would try to make my calculator talk in a way that everyone would hear it and not just us."

More mutterings. Our chances of looking innocent were declining quicker than I would have imagined. Nevertheless, I kept my back straight and my eyes on the Oracle, challenging him to tell me I was wrong. But his lips remained sealed as he gazed at me. A slight headache blossomed in my head and my frown deepened. Was he looking in my mind to see if I was telling the truth? Despite my initial response to try and shut him out, much like we've tried with Taranee, I let him rummage through my thoughts. I don't know why they were treating us like criminals, but as long as I didn't struggle, our chances of playing this off as a big misunderstanding would be high.

"You realize that your affinity with electronical objects and thus your ability to make them talk, is not your secondary power," the Oracle said.

I balled my fists. I had thought of it for a while now. But only because my real secondary power always seemed a bit redundant to me. And making machines talk was the only thing I could do when not in Guardian form. Then again, with our new increase in powers, it could very well be that my true secondary power would start to show real soon in human form. With all the complications it would bring along.

"You're talking about my increased strength and resistance?" I said.

The Oracle nodded solemnly, thus confirming my suspicions. It was somehow sadly funny how my super strength would make its debut now after all this time. We found out during our battles with Cedric that my resistance to getting hit was higher than the other girls and during my trip with Caleb in Phobos' labyrinth and the battle of the plains, my super strength came into play. Yet I never really thought of it as my power. I just figured it was a way of Kandrakar apologizing that they took my powers and still wanted me to fight. But just like Irma could create and manipulate small bodies of water, Cornelia could grow and shape flowers, Taranee could create and douse flames and Hay Lin could manipulate the wind ever so slightly, I could manipulate electronic devices and spark like a Taser. So indeed, making sentient objects was nothing more but a weakened state of my powers.

"I figured that to be practiced with Caleb in Meridian, rather than trying to knock someone's head off in Sheffield," I said.

This time my own contempt and sarcasm was heard and as I expected, not well received. Again several stood up and were ready to argue with me. The full storm had no chance to unload as the Oracle held a hand up. I could see a ghost of his old serene smile back on his lips.

"I would expect no less of the Keeper of the Heart," he said. "With that issue closed, I would like your attention for the following."

I didn't feel like the issue was closed. That feeling was only reinforced with the glares of the surrounding Council. I briefly glanced at the girls, glad they were sharing my unrest as well. It was also obvious that Irma was biting her lips to refrain herself from starting another explosion of uproar. We shared a glance before turning back to the Oracle. He had conjured up a holographic image of a planet, much like what Yan Lin had down when she introduced us to our destiny.

"This, Guardians, is the world Arkhanta. We've been at peace with them for quite some years, but since a few years one of the rulers has been... Difficult."

The image changed to a man with a stern, young face and striking blue hair. A small smile tugged at my lips. I had always cursed my striking and unusual red hair, but this guy's blue hair was even worse.

"This is Ari, once a simple farmer who grew to a ruler due to his achievements. His greatest achievement, and one of our greatest concerns, is his capture of the Banshee Yua."

The image shifted to a creature with a light greenish skin and dark green hair. She was bound by soft glowing cloths in a pool. Even her pupils were green. I couldn't hide my surprise and it must have been obvious as the Oracle continued his explanation.

"Banshees are powerful magical creatures living on Arkhanta. They provide any three wishes to the one that captures them. They of course, don't like to be captured and are also terribly dangerous. This results in them rarely being caught."

"Let me guess, Ari managed to capture one and keep her?" I heard Irma say beneath her breath.

"Exactly Miss Lair," the Oracle said, making the hologram disappear.

I shared a short glance with the others, seeing Irma blush furiously. We all snickered a bit before forcing our faces back to the neutral way they were before. Irma still muttered, though this time even I couldn't understand her.

"We wish you to visit Arkhanta and have an audience with Ari, to see if he is indeed hostile against Kandrakar. We wished to send you immediately, but in the light of these new events, I've decided to give you a day of practice. Tomorrow we'll expect you here where we can send you to Arkhanta."

I raised my hand. I felt childish and even slightly stupid when I did so, but I was unsure how else to gain the attention without looking rude. The Oracle raised an eyebrow before probably recognizing it. He nodded and I cleared my throat.

"With all due respect sir," I said. "while we indeed appreciate our extra time to at least make sure we won't cause another 'accident' – I looked shortly at Irma – we still attend school. And during our past mission, we already missed quite a lot. And well...We would like to pass this year."

If Irma's remark had caused a ruckus, then mine created a cacophony of noise. Council members everywhere started speaking loudly, with quite a few yelling at us in alien languages. From a few that spoke English, I picked up that they believed that Kandrakar's fate was more important than our lives and that we should even be honoured to be its Guardians. The amount of foul looks I received was more than I felt I deserved. I hadn't expected the reaction and I winced as the storm flew by. I unconsciously took a step back, nearly walking into Taranee, who placed a hand on my back in an attempt to calm me down. Well, I could safely say I wasn't calming down.

The past me would have hidden away. I would have turned red and look down, hoping people would stop screaming at me. All the while thinking I was right. The current me thought differently. They could yell and be angered by our behaviour all they wanted, but they shouldn't forget one very crucial thing. If it hadn't been for us than the Oracle would still be caught in a bubble and a giant snake would be ruling the universe. A speck of gratitude wouldn't harm anyone. And so I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, shutting the Council members out for a moment. It was the same as stopping an escalated fight between Cornelia and Irma, only with more people yelling.

"SHUT UP!"

The Council turned silent, if only because of Taranee's blatant command and obvious disregard of respect for them. I turned around surprised. I'd never seen Taranee explode like this, but now as she glared darkly at the Oracle, I was astounded by her ferocity. The Oracle's small smile had dropped entirely, but Taranee refused to look at him. Instead she glared into the room.

"Do we think our lives to be more important than Kandrakar? Yes, as long as the danger is not imminent. Do we think it's an honour to be Guardians? Yes, we do. But being Guardians doesn't mean being slaves. Especially not if we're being left to our own devices most of the time. Kandrakar hasn't been any help ever since we arrived here and yet we fought hard to protect it. I don't have to remember you all that if we hadn't actually _given up_ on our humanity, you wouldn't be sitting here. The Oracle would have most likely been swallowed by Cedric, and you would have cowered in fear of an enormous snake. Yet we haven't heard a single word of gratitude from you. Even so, we willingly came here and were accepting the mission we were given. We only had one single request, to carry it out _after_ our school hours."

Taranee ended her rant with a deep breath. A bright blush was staining her cheeks, her eyes still fixated on the Council. During the moment she spoke of our temporary transformation to elementals, I saw multiple members shift nervously. Their glares hadn't diminished and their muttering returned, but the yelling didn't. It was almost as if they were afraid Taranee would rant again. I placed my hand on Taranee's shoulder, conveying my agreement and support. My gaze finally settled on the Oracle, as if asking him if he had something to say about it. His face remained serious and he nodded. The new smile he formed seemed a bit forced to me.

"You are right, of course. We are indebted to you and your noble sacrifice you made to stop Cedric. And therefore, I will allow you to finish your school days before heading off to Arkhanta. And I apologize on behalf of the whole Council. This was a conduct unfitting for Council members of Kandrakar."

I glanced at Taranee who nodded. At least we had a chance of finishing our school year without a lack of sleep. A fold appeared next to us.

"You'll find this fold returning you to the place you came from. Don't worry, we take your secret identity very serious and so, no one is there at the moment. Now hurry along and you might catch your sixth period."

I bowed to the Oracle.  
"Thank you."

The utters muttered similar things, though I was quite sure that Irma added even softer than before 'for nothing' to hers. We left through the fold and as it closed behind us, we turned back to our human form. The last thing we did before leaving the restroom was look at each other one last time. We all wore the same expression. 'What did we do wrong?'

 _ **[A/N] First chapter done! I know I still have a few others open, but this one has been plaguing me for a damn long time, causing a writer's block for everything else. I am still trying with the other stories (like Howling for Fortune), but it will take a while. Sorry for that.**_

 _ **Even so, I hope you enjoyed this one and please review!**_


	2. Chapter 2 Training

**Chapter 2 Training**

Despite that we were given the rest of our school day, we didn't really pay any attention. At first we broke out into a telepathic conversation about why we were treated like criminals. But that conversation slowly ended with an occasional complaint of Irma every now and then. I had stopped paying attention to our conversation half way. My mind kept replaying our meeting with the Council members. I normally agreed with a lighter version of Irma's opinion, but this time I believed all five of us thought the same. A bit of gratitude wouldn't have hurt and we certainly didn't deserve to be treated like we were. I even admitted that, after our hostile meeting, I would agree with this Ari of Arkhanta. I didn't know what he had against Kandrakar, but if he was treated like we were, I would almost consider joining him.

I also had a short conversation with Taranee. After her explosive reaction, she'd grown timid. She hadn't contributed much in our previous discussion and when we shared a telepathic link without the others, I could sense her worry. Irma had only placed a toe out of line. She'd gone and crossed the line completely. She wasn't sorry for what she'd said. I told her I was proud of her for saying it. I had been thinking along the same lines but wouldn't voice it. Maybe now they would take us a little more serious.

But yeah, our day at school ended. Martin, Eric, Nigel and Alchemy luckily didn't suffer long from Irma's mind suggestion. According to Matt, they cleared up a minute after we were gone. Though he did tell me that they were highly susceptible for suggestion for five more minutes afterwards. It was slightly disturbing, considering Irma had a knack of using said power on her father, if only to avoid punishments or to get Chris into trouble. But when I told her, she paled. It seemed she did realize the gravity of this new increase in power, for the first time being serious about it. And she swore me not to use it unless absolutely necessary.

I couldn't help but think of our first agreement, to not use magic unless absolutely necessary. But the way Irma was looking and how she looked more serious at our power up made me belief her. After all, we were friends and you should trust them, right?

With those concerns out of the way, we made our way to Meridian, with Matt tagging along. We arrived at the entrance of the palace, surprising two guards. But they recognized us quickly and we were escorted to the throne room. A man approached us, one I couldn't really remember. He was short and his back was slightly bent. He had dark hair, but his skin was light green. If I could take a guess, he would be a mix of a galhot and human. The guards halted and bowed to the man. I looked at the others, realizing they too didn't recognize him.

"Guards, who gave you permission to let these people enter? Especially dressed in such weird garments," he said.

I raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. This man didn't recognize us in human form and I didn't want to bother him.

"But Sir, these people.." a guard tried.

"I don't care if they are travellers all the way from Felin. The Queen is busy meeting with the Minister of Agriculture."

"What's Felin?" Hay Lin muttered, to which the others shrugged.

"Sir Lyonak, these aren't just mere travellers," the other guard said.

I actually felt a little sorry for the guy when Sir Lyonak glared at him. Lyonak straightened his robes and gave us a small look of contempt. What did we do to get so many looks of disapproval in one day?

"I doubt they are any more important than the Minister of Agriculture," Lyonak said.

He waved us away and I grinned a bit. I looked at Cornelia and nudged my head a bit. Cornelia smirked broadly and nodded. I could see her raise a finger instead of raising a hand like she usually did. Her brow was knitted in concentration and even with her utmost concentration, Lyonak still flew sideways. He managed to catch his balance, mostly because Cornelia had nearly thrown him into the wall. I looked at her, shrugging a bit. It could have been much worse. I could see Cornelia's pride increase. That girl's pride was really her everything.

We walked past Lyonak, acting like we hadn't seen him fly aside. The poor guy was still too confused to realize what happened, but when he saw us walk past him, he called for the guards.

"Guards! Stop these dangerous individuals! They attacked the advisor of the Queen!"

The guards knew better and remained at the same place we've left them. Before Lyonak could yell at them again, Irma turned to him.

"Sorry, but the Guardians and Regent of Earth didn't want to wait. Our parents expect us at dinner," she said, winking at him as the rest of us started to laugh.

Lyonak paled as we passed him and while I didn't look back, I still could hear a guard tell him that that was what they were trying to tell him. I shook my head as Irma was loudly complimenting Cornelia on her subtle nudge. Hay Lin indeed expressed her admiration for the amount of control Cornelia had shown. Taranee, however, walked up to me.

"Was it wise to let Cornelia do that? It could have gone terribly wrong," she said.

I nodded in response.  
"True, but knowing Cornelia, she wanted to outdo Irma. And how better than to prove that she has better control over her secondary powers than her?"

I could see Taranee smirk a bit.

"That's making use of her personality."

I merely smiled, neither denying nor confirming her statement. Instead I pushed the doors open. The throne room opened up before us. The first thing I saw was Elyon, sitting very bored in her throne. An elderly galhot was standing before her, listing things off a long piece of parchment. The moment she saw us, she brightened and sat up straight. The galhot stopped and turned around, obviously bothered by the interruption. Though, the moment he saw us, he did recognize us. He bowed his head to us as we entered.

"Sir Drock, thank you, but I'm afraid we have to adjourn our meeting to a later date," Elyon said.

The Minister of Agriculture nodded, muttering that he understood. He left quickly, bowing to us again as he left. As he did, I saw Drake waking up from his daydreaming and stretching a bit. Some bodyguard. Elyon's face remained poised until the Minister had left. The doors closed and a smile formed on her lips as she descended the throne.

"My saviours!" she said.

I shook my head with a laugh as the all-powerful Queen of Meridian hugged us tightly. I nodded a greeting at Drake, who waved in return. Elyon quickly ushered us to the gardens, while sending a maid to go and retrieve some food. While we went to the gardens, we got a full report on what she'd been doing the past two weeks. Apparently having her days filled with meetings and paper work weren't the things she had envisioned when she became Queen. Cornelia told her that the fact that she was actually doing something meant she was already a better ruler than her brother. At this I noticed a very wry smile before she turned to us and asked what we had done.

We gave her a very short summary of our vacation, an even shorter summary of our first day – mostly because none of us could remember much of it – and then a full length detailed report on our meeting with the full Council of Kandrakar. Matt, hearing the full story now as well, frowned along with Elyon as we gave them our impressions of the Council.

By the time we'd finished, we had taken a seat in the gardens and had the food already arrived. Elyon seemed to be lost in thoughts while I recognized the face Matt was making. He was about the argue with us.

"Are you sure they were that hostile? I mean, they were sitting pretty far away. You could possibly misjudged their looks."

"Even if we did, their tone said enough," Cornelia said.

"I still think you're just overblowing this. I mean, they weren't hostile when we..."

I love Matt. I really do. But what I hate is that he keeps secrets from me. My secret, the Guardian thing, was to protect him from doing stupid things. This, however, was either something he'd overlooked to tell me or something he wanted to keep a secret. I guess I could say that I was very glad he also sucked at keeping them hidden for long.

"When..." I said, glaring at him.

He figured quickly that he could better spill the beans than act like he'd never said anything wrong. He straightened his back a bit, in a hope to look like he was defying me.

"I, along with Napoleon and Huggles were called to Kandrakar two days ago," he said.

I glared sideways at him.

"That was the reason you couldn't join me for a movie?"

A sheepish, slightly guilty look crossed his face. He shrugged and I gestured him to continue, silently fuming about Kandrakar.

"Now that Kandrakar was restored and that the Heart of Earth was known, they wished to contract Earth. And seeing how we are the Regents of Earth that decision was ours to make."

"Contract Earth?"

It was Cornelia who spoke up. Her eyes were narrowed and her arms crossed. Understandable, with how her younger sister was the Heart of Earth. This could mean tasks Lilian would have to fulfil once we decided – or the Regents decided – to tell her about her powers. Tasks with which Cornelia wouldn't agree with probably.

Matt could read Cornelia's dislike and raised his hands.

"We discussed it excessively and what they asked wasn't a lot in exchange for the protection of Kandrakar."

"That would be?" Cornelia's eyebrow raised as she icily spoke the question.

Matt swallowed.  
"Earth has to work along with Kandrakar when asked in times of need. In return, Kandrakar would ensure that darkness would not befall Earth."

"You mean, what we're already doing?"

Irma's sarcastic question was viable. I mean, we've been protecting Earth all along. The reason we first meddled with Meridian was to prevent Phobos from breaking through and ruining Earth. That Elyon happened to be the Princess was our secondary reason. And Nerissa was directly messing with us. Earth nor Kandrakar were our priorities when she ran loose.

Matt didn't seem to agree with Irma. He even gave her a look that pretty much asked her if she were stupid. Irma noticed it and was ready to confront him about it, when Elyon spoke up.

"You five _work_ for Kandrakar. While indeed your previous missions weren't entirely according to Kandrakar's wishes, you can't be sure that Kandrakar won't be telling you to leave a planet alone if they don't aid Kandrakar. You're _their_ soldiers. Remember? Guardians _of Kandrakar_?"

We turned our attention to Elyon, who looked at us. A few things bothered me. She hadn't been that interested in the contract that Kandrakar had requested with Matt. She was acutely aware of our role as Guardians. More so than I had ever thought about it. To hear we were soldiers of Kandrakar gave me a bad feeling. Especially as to how I could not deny it. If I thought about it, we really were.

"They... Also approached you about a contract, didn't they?"

She nodded slowly at my question. She crumbled the bread she had held in her hand and she seemed to look for the words to explain herself.

"When they first asked me, I told them that they already protected Metamoor. That you were my closest friends. They..."

She stopped and looked shortly at Taranee, before looking longer at me. I could read guilt in them. I raised an eyebrow and Cornelia placed a hand on her shoulder. This seemed to give Elyon a bit of courage to continue.

"They told me that you would abandon me at their command. I refuted that. You all came for me when I was working against you. You wouldn't just leave me if they told you."

From all of us, Cornelia was most insulted. Her eyes had narrowed and I could see her other hand ball up to a fist. The plants around us started to sprout thorns, something I was quite sure wasn't something the plants should or could do naturally. But Irma's hands were dripping with water, the wind had picked up around Hay Lin and a part of Taranee's hair had caught fire. And sparks sprang from my hair. That while I was trying my best to remain calm. And in any other situation, I would be concerned by our blatant show of power, but now my attention was diverted to somewhere else.

"How could they even think of saying that? They wouldn't expect us to abandon a friend of ours!" Cornelia was fuming and I was quite sure her whole body would have combusted if she'd been the fire Guardian.

I could see a moment of relief pass on Elyon's face. And – unless my mind was playing tricks un me – I thought to see the same look on Matt's face as well. But when I looked longer at him, his gaze was on Elyon. Was he avoiding me? Elyon sighed and nodded, smiling brighter at us.

"Thank you. I wanted to hear it from you," she said. "For you see, I told them the same thing. They told me that neither of you would have come to Heatherfield if it weren't for them."

She pointed at Taranee and me. We both frowned and looked confused at each other before turning our gazes back to Elyon. She looked earnestly at us and nodded.

"They told me you were already quite a loner, but did not like change. With some illusions they made you feel at home?"

Taranee blushed furiously. I raised an eyebrow. While I didn't know a lot about Taranee from before I met her, I did know she'd moved to Heatherfield a year before me from Sesamo. But I never asked about her friends before us, or her life. We all now looked at her. Her hair had doused and a blush had crept to her cheeks. Our gazes coerced an explanation.

"I...Had one friend. And she moved away a couple of years back before I did. We barely spoke or saw each other even before I came here. But I'd hoped she returned and that wouldn't happen if I left Sesamo. But my parents were adamant on finding a new house in Heatherfield and while I'd been grumpy and uncooperative I noticed a warm fire in a house close to one my parents were looking at. And I entered it, as the door was unlocked and felt...at home... I didn't know Kandrakar was the reason behind that!"

I placed a hand on her shoulder, but Taranee was still in her thoughts. She looked at her hands and was out of it. She finally snapped out of it and gave me a weak smile. I smiled in return. Her smile turned quickly into a frown and I felt her shoulder heat up. She muttered something along the lines of interfering in our lives and acting innocent. I didn't need to be a genius to know that this was another strike against Kandrakar in Taranee's book.

"And Will?"

I shortly looked at Irma before turning to Elyon. Elyon looked even more uncomfortable than before.

"You...Lost your friends and father, conditioned you to the word Heatherfield and your mother was being relocated."

Elyon said it very quickly, but things were clicking in my mind faster than I liked to admit.

"WHAT?!"

Elyon winced, but so did Taranee. Only because she yelped in pain did I realize that my hand was still on her shoulder, grabbing it firmly. I quickly released her. As I muttered an apology, I could see the others taking a few steps from me, with Hay Lin pulling Taranee along.

"Will, you might want to stop discharging," Irma said.

I noticed that, despite my short moment of apologizing and thus pulling me out of my anger, I was still sparking terribly. I couldn't remember I ever managed to do this outside of Guardian form. I tried to calm down, but every time I took a deep breath, I remembered my time in Fadden Hills. And this caused a new outburst of sparks. The Heart flashed violently against my chest. It didn't feel like it was trying to subdue my powers, but more that it was reacting to my emotions. Because my normal way of calming down wasn't working, I finally couldn't help myself. I yelled in frustration and shot all the electricity I could muster up in the air. A loud thunder crack followed, but at least I lost some of my anger.

"I...Take it that whatever they did, you weren't too happy with it," Irma said, slowly approaching me again.

I couldn't help but shoot a glare at her that stopped her momentarily in her tracks. Then I remembered that they didn't know and I slumped down on one of the stone benches of the garden. I placed my head in my hands and took a deep breath. A warm hand was placed on my shoulder. At first I thought it to be Matt, but the hand was too small. I looked up and saw Taranee looking concerned at me. Matt joined her quickly by placing his hand on my other side. I brushed my hair back and looked at the others. Now it was my turn for an explanation.

"You... You know my parents are divorced. That...Well, that all happened with quite a lot of arguments, shouting and stalking. A time you could use your friends, right? No. I had a group of friends back in Fadden Hills. We were close, just like I am with you guys. But as the divorce was taking longer, the more support I was losing. In the end, I barely saw them, yet I still believed them to be my friends. Until..."

I scrounged up my face, realizing that what Elyon had said was indeed right. How stupid I have been! I should have known this from the very beginning! It was my own fault for overlooking this.

"Until what? Will, don't stop half way," Irma said.

I looked at them, my face now grim.

"One day, at school, I suddenly could hear their thoughts. And they were all about me and nothing friendly. I'm so stupid. Telepathy was never one of my powers until now! I should have realized this sooner."

Taranee squeezed my shoulder softly, while Matt pecked me on my forehead, muttering that it was not my fault.

"Well, I skipped school for the rest of the day and that was the day my mother and I decided to move to Heatherfield, seeing how the radio had been going on and on about the city. I've been played and I danced to their tune."

Anger was coursing through me and new sparks came from me, causing both Taranee and Matt to let go of me. I was definitely starting to share Taranee's view of Kandrakar.

"While what has transpired with you was all but fun, I urge you to look at the positive side," Cornelia finally said.

I looked up, my eyebrows raised. She shrugged and brushed her hair behind her shoulders.

"You've met us, we've gone through stuff those fake friends of yours could never even dream off and I do fancy us to be best friends. That is, unlike you want to contradict me?"

First, I just stared at her. Had she not listened? But then I saw the others smiling at me and I realized that perhaps what Kandrakar had done hadn't been too bad. After all, I wasn't the same Will as I as back then. I lacked quite a lot of confidence and I shied away quickly. I liked the current me a lot more. I smiled at them.

"You're right." I said as I got up and hugged them.

Matt received a private hug, with a kiss. Elyon smiled at us and I nodded at her, so she could continue.

"Well, how much I love you both, but it does prove that Kandrakar has had a hand in your lives. And that could mean that they could easily find a way for them to have you abandon me. I agreed but they wouldn't give me the contract before I proved to them that I would indeed uphold the contract."

"Ridiculous," Irma said. I nodded in agreement. Elyon shook her head.

"No, think about it. My brother broke the contract and so, you guys came."

For a moment I bit my lip. I couldn't tell Elyon that we were never meant to go to Meridian. Our mission was to close the portals and find the Princess. Not to save Meridian. We kind of did that on our accord.

"I'm related and they desired some proof that at least I would obey reasonable demands. And so they asked for Phobos and Cedric."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

She sighed.

"They said that both had directly attacked Kandrakar and were still liable to escape. I was allowed to 'keep' Miranda and Nerissa. Miranda because they probably figured she wouldn't do much on her own and Nerissa... Well they told me that, unless I deliberately broke her crystal, she wouldn't be freed."

I nodded, but my mind was twisting and turning. Kandrakar influencing us in the most horrible ways. Them demanding Elyon to sign a contract and claiming Cedric and Phobos while leaving Nerissa, someone they essentially created, alone. It was all very peculiar and I felt somehow a few red flags going up. The worst of it all was that going to Kandrakar for answers would probably give us even more trouble. We were, after all, but foot soldiers according to Elyon. We shouldn't be questioning our superiors. But the more I was thinking about everything, the more questions popped up and the more the drive for answers fuelled me.

I shortly looked up, vaguely aware how Irma and Cornelia were discussing their opinions with Elyon about the matter. I caught Taranee's eyes and I was pretty certain I could see the same thoughts roam her mind. A mutual look of understanding came between us, one that did not need telepathy. We nodded shortly at each other. Thinking about all of this could be put on hold. We wouldn't be getting far anyway.

"We probably should discuss this later. For now, the reason we came to Meridian is to train," I said, cleanly interrupting the discussion Elyon was engrossed in.

Elyon raised an eyebrow. "Training? You guys take a two weeks' vacation and just decide to train all of the sudden?"

"We've got a very good reason," Hay Lin said. "Look!"

With that she waved her hands, her brow furrowed in concentration. The winds started to pick up, but stronger than I'd ever felt when Hay Lin was not transformed. This was almost as strong as her lightest attack in Guardian form. Which, if I had to guess, was somewhere between wind force 5 and 6. Elyon's face showed quite some surprise and as the winds calmed down, she looked at all of us like she was looking at us for the first time.

"Your reactions just now. I already thought it to be strange that you had so little control over your powers. Did Kandrakar...?"

I shook my head. "No, Kandrakar was even angry with us for growing in power. Trust me when I tell you that we didn't ask for it."

Elyon nodded. "No, I understand. This isn't exactly what you want for Christmas."

"Was that a joke? Cause it was a bad one," Irma said, crossing her arms with a small glare.

A weak smile formed on Elyon's lips.

"I'll lead you to the training grounds. Just promise to clean up afterwards. The soldiers prefer to use them as well," she said, getting up and leading the way. She turned her head and looked at me shortly. "Oh and Will, you might be happy to hear that Caleb has been asking for you whenever he was not thinking about Cornelia. He said something about you neglecting your training?"

A soft groan escaped my lips as the others snickered. Irma patted me on the back as we followed Elyon. Matt gave me a sideways glance to ask for explanation. I waved it off, though I was sure he'd figure it out today. I'd never had the heart to tell Matt that if we were to fight hand-to-hand, chances of me winning were higher. He knew about my powerlessness before the Veil dropped. He just didn't know that Caleb had nearly bullied me into hand-to-hand combat. He had figured that I needed a way to protect myself and use my increased strength to its full potential. The girls had enjoyed watching as Caleb would toss me through the rebel base during our training sessions. It only got fun for me when I managed to block him. A wry smile formed on my lips. I hadn't tried my strength yet. Maybe my increased strength was already settling in, or perhaps it wasn't. It would be very unfortunate if Caleb became a victim, but I would love to see his face if I actually managed to crush a dummy. I just hoped he wasn't planning on trying a sneak attack. If I hit him too hard, Cornelia would most definitely kill me.

We arrived at the training grounds, with several soldiers doing drills. Caleb was standing there, keeping eye on the regiments when he noticed us. He called the soldiers to attention and they all saluted for Elyon. I could see a very small smile tug at Elyon's lips as she waved them at ease. She was enjoying it, even if she wouldn't admit it. Caleb, now having done his duty as faithful commander of the Queen, continued his duty as faithful boyfriend of Cornelia and walked up to her, kissing her and holding her close. She didn't even had time to complain that he didn't come to her the moment we arrived and just smiled happily. He wore his usual doofus smile when he looked at her and in the corner of my eyes, I could see Irma roll her eyes. Elyon cleared her throat.

"Caleb, the Guardians have asked to use the training grounds. I've granted them permission, but I wish for both you and Vathek to oversee their training. I'll remain here for a while, before returning to my own duties. Give the soldiers the rest of the day off. I prefer to avoid unnecessary injuries."

I had to admit. I was impressed. Elyon spoke with a certain ease while issuing her order. There was a clear commanding tone without it sounding like a threat. She was really growing as a Queen. I must have showed some of my thoughts in my expression, because I noticed Elyon glancing quickly at me, before blushing a bit and smiling quite proudly.

Caleb seemed to read more out of Elyon's command than his soldiers. He raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at Cornelia for more explanation. Then he nodded and saluted, before turning to his men.

"You've heard your Queen. Take the day off. Visit your family, court a lady. Be prepared for a new day of training tomorrow. And you – he pointed at one of the soldiers – get captain Vathek. Tell him he has to come on orders of the Queen," Caleb said.

The soldiers saluted. The one who'd gotten the final command of Caleb nodded and ran off into the distance while the others dispersed more leisurely. As the last one finally left, Caleb turned to us, his expression practically demanding an answer.

"Can't you practice on Earth?" he said. "That's what you usually do."

Irma decided to take the leisure of answering him. She shrugged a bit dramatic and played with a bit of water she just pulled from the air.

"We could do that...And risk blowing up a whole neighbourhood, our secret and a few lives. Or we'll practice here where everyone knows about us. Especially with our increase in power."

I rolled my eyes slightly, but nodded nonetheless. Caleb raised an eyebrow as he looked at all of us.

"Increase in power? Where did that come from? Kandrakar didn't lower another Veil somewhere, did they?"

I shook my head. "We don't know. Kandrakar doesn't know and isn't all too happy about it either. We just figured we could use some practice before going on our next mission."

He nodded. I could see some interest spark in his eyes, as well as in Elyon's, but neither spoke their question. Maybe I'd fill them in later. For now, our training was a little more important.

While waiting for Vathek to arrive, we decided to first practice in our human forms. We first practiced our secondary powers, which meant that we all got subjected to Irma's ridiculous mind suggestions and watched Cornelia lift more than she ever had in human form with telekinesis. When it was Hay Lin's turn, we quickly learned that she was able to turn something, or someone else invisible other than herself. But it seemed limited to a certain amount of things or people that could remain invisible at the same time. Which would make scouting a lot safer now that I didn't have to send Hay Lin out alone.

When my turn came, Caleb suggested our hand-to-hand routine. I argued with him that that would perhaps not be the wisest course of action. He argued that I never showed any increased strength in human form. In the end I conceded, which nearly ended into Caleb's untimely and unnecessary end. We were getting in our routine. I was slowly becoming aware of Matt's incredulous look and I tried to block him out. As I tried that, Caleb got a few hits in. They didn't hurt as much as I remembered, but I figured he was going easy on me. And that just plain annoyed me. That, and the hits he got in. So I managed to hit him with a well-placed hit between his ribs. I could feel something crack beneath my fist as Caleb lunged backwards, landing painfully on the ground.

Cornelia was the first to reach him. I'm quite sure she would be sending glares at me if there wasn't a sliver of blood running down Caleb's mouth. Now she was too busy worrying about him and muttering that both he and I were idiots. I also felt that Cornelia would not go easy on me if we were to spar today...or any time soon in the future. She placed her hands gingerly on his ribs as he coughed violently. I approached, quite worried about him. Hay Lin had gone after Elyon, who'd left somewhere during Cornelia's practice. Which was perhaps a good idea. Caleb needed healing, as soon as possible.

But as I thought that, I noticed Cornelia's hands glowing green. Irma, looking as worried as I was, didn't even point it out. We just watched as Caleb slowly started to breathe easier. I approached a little more, to see what Cornelia was doing, when suddenly vines grew around my legs and my arms. I halted abruptly and looked as the vines entangled me more and more, growing thicker as I watched.

"Cornelia! What..."

Cornelia looked up. Caleb was still out of it, but at least his breathing was normal and the bleeding stopped. Her glare was as cold as ice and she stood up, raising one hand that was slightly radiating a green light.

"You've done enough, don't you think?" she said. "You should've controlled yourself! What were you thinking?"

I felt my face becoming hot. Her accusations were ridiculous! I never wanted to hurt Caleb, at least not that much to knock him to Death's door. Having him slightly winded had been my aim. But perhaps my annoyance won out of my intentions. Still it was an accident. Something she should understand. I pressed against the vines.

"You're acting like I did this on purpose. Neither Caleb nor I would think it would be this dangerous!"

Cornelia's expression didn't falter. If anything, she seemed only more annoyed.

"Caleb I understand. He doesn't know about our magic. At least, not like we do. Like you're supposed to do!"

"Cornelia, that's not fair," Taranee said.

"Taranee, stay out of this," I said.

I continued to stare at Cornelia. I could remain where I was entangled, hang my head and agree with her. But something inside me roared in anger. Reminding me that out of the five of us, I was the most inexperienced of all of us when it came to magic. Cornelia was perhaps right that I should've been more careful, but I refused to accept that now. I tried to take a step, now consciously trying to use all the strength I possessed. I could feel a few vines tear, only to be replaced by others. Nevertheless I pushed on. Cornelia's face dropped as she tried to keep me restrained, most likely to wait until I admitted I was wrong. Too bad my pride wasn't going to cave in.

"Without me, you wouldn't have known you could heal," I said.

"It would have come up another time," Cornelia said.

"Would it? Would you have run to any of us or a stranger like you ran up to Caleb?"

Cornelia reddened. "Of course I would have!"

"Would you really?"

More vines snapped. New ones arose, causing me to yell in pain. These new ones had thorns. I think I've hit a sensitive nerve with my question. But we both knew I was right. The way Cornelia had run to Caleb, only lovers would run in such fashion. She wouldn't have done that for us. She would have felt the same feelings of concern and hatred for the one who harmed us, but never would she think about using her magic to see if it would help. If I could guess, Cornelia had planned to use telekinesis to keep his lunges from being punctured. Which somehow transformed into healing magic. Probably something with her heart wishing to save him. Magic worked strange that way.

Taranee had yelled out when she saw the blood. Irma was protesting loudly. Matt transformed and warned Cornelia. Yet neither of us seemed to be listening to them. We were staring at each other, challenging the other to prove that the claims were not true. Neither of us could, resulting in a sort standstill. It only felt to me that Cornelia was winning, as I was still bound in _her_ vines. That idea left a nasty aftertaste in my mouth and so I gritted my teeth, once again trying to tear through the vines.

Blood flowed now freely down my arms and legs and tears shot in my eyes. Yet I didn't utter a sound. I merely glared at Cornelia, whose challenging stare was quickly waning. She began to pale, as if she was the one losing blood. Vines snapped again and she took a step back, raising her hands.

"What are you doing? Stop it! You'll hurt yourself!"

I guessed. No, I hoped it was due to her fear, but the thorns became bigger and sharper. I swallowed a new yell in pain. Tears now ran down my cheeks, but I refused to stop. I took another step, feeling the thorns tear into my flesh, when suddenly I was surrounded by fire. The vines all simultaneously burst into flames. The fire surprised me, the warmth enveloped me. It took me a few seconds to realize that, while the vines burnt, I did not. My heart raced with adrenaline and I looked shortly at Taranee. Her hands were glowing as well as her glasses.

"I won't let you two harm each other out of stubbornness," she said.

I nodded. My head cleared slightly. I was being ridiculous. And I was hurting all over. The moment the support of the vines left me, I realized how much power I'd been using. I slumped to the ground, trying to catch myself in vain. It was Cornelia who caught me in time. She looked at me, now with the same concern I'd seen on her face when she'd run to Caleb.

"I'm sorry," I heard her mutter. "I.. It's.. It's our magic's fault. You couldn't have known. You're always the one who is the most cautious. It was unfair of me."

Her glowing hands went over the wounds on my arms and legs, soothing the aches. I sighed in relief. I could see her face. Her expression was one full of concern and perhaps slightly chiding me for being a stubborn idiot. I couldn't help but smile. I hugged her, causing her to yelp in surprise. She said something about getting blood on her clothes.

"I'm sorry too. You're right, I should have been more cautious. And you've proven me wrong about the healing debacle."

Behind her I could see Irma looking at us. She too had paled a bit, but when she saw us hugging she shook her head.

"You two are way too stubborn for our own good," she said.

Cornelia and I broke the hug. Cornelia turned around and gave Irma a look.

"Like you're one to talk," she said.

Irma winked, lightening the mood immediately.

"You know me, I'm just someone who goes with the flow. The flow just tends to go against your opinions every now and then."

This caused Matt, Taranee and me to laugh. I noticed a fourth laughter add to ours and only now did I notice Caleb standing behind Taranee. He'd wiped the blood away from his mouth and stood again, like I'd never broken his ribs. I wondered when he got up.

Cornelia, who'd been on the verge of arguing with Irma, also noticed Caleb's laughter and smiled brightly. She helped me up before walking to Caleb. She placed her hands on his ribs with a thoughtful look, before smiling and kissing him.

"And you, never try to fight Will again unless you've got a death wish," she said.

While Cornelia was tending to Caleb, Matt walked up to me. He took me in his arms and kissed my forehead. Yet somehow I felt more than just relief come from him. I couldn't put my finger about it, but something dark seemed to swim in his eyes.

"Never scare me like that again. Did you even notice how much you were bleeding?" he said.

I could give him a snarky reply. That I enjoyed bleeding out slowly. But instead I smiled apologetically at him. I gave him a kiss on his cheek.

"What in the name of every single god in Metamoor happened here?"

I looked up. I'd forgotten that Hay Lin had gone to get Elyon. Now Elyon was looking at us hugging, a slightly paled Irma and Taranee and me covered in blood. Laughter bubbled up inside me and I was soon followed by the others.

 _ **[A/N] Well, another chapter uploaded. I try to upload one whenever I finish a future chapter, to keep a flow in the story. If it takes a while longer, sorry! For now, I hope you enjoyed it and please review!**_


	3. Chapter 3 Meeting Ari of Arkhanta

**Chapter 3 Meeting Ari of Arkhanta**

Our day of training went by with some difficulty. After Elyon had gotten wind of what exactly had happened, she decided to remain with us until we were done. Having her as a babysitter felt a bit weird, but I was grateful for her cleaning me up. Vathek arrived shortly after our story and so, he became my new sparring partner. With permission of him, I tried going all out. I think I should be glad that Vathek is a galhot, for he only staggered back and looked winded and very surprised I managed to punch that hard. He also was quite sure he didn't want to be my sparring partner if I were in Guardian form.

Talking about Guardian form, we also transformed. We figured that we might as well at least test the boundaries of our powers in Guardian form. We didn't try any of our secondary powers, though Taranee did complain of unintentionally hearing thoughts of others. Trying to block them out was something she primarily focused on as we practiced. We also managed to literally destroy the whole training grounds. We restored it before Elyon got a fit, but it was fun to see her pale by the thought that she had to restore all of it.

But I was concerned. I didn't show it, so the others took no notice. I'm not sure if they realized how dangerous we had become. Cornelia tore the ground apart without much effort. Irma had filled the crevices in seconds and Taranee made it all evaporate shortly after. Hay Lin had gathered the steam, creating clouds. And well, the clouds only made my control over lightning much easier. I was even capable of redirecting the lightning when it was headed to a tall tree. As I said, we'd gotten pretty powerful and so, terribly dangerous.

That being said, it wasn't an excuse for Kandrakar. The next day, after school though, they summoned us. The Council was about as friendly as they were the day before, but at least they weren't yelling at us. I felt like we had the right to yell at them. I hadn't forgotten what Elyon had told us about them tempering with our lives. But it wouldn't aid us now. For now only the Oracle spoke.

"Guardians, we have received new intel about Ari's intentions," he said. "It has become clear to us that he wishes only ill for Kandrakar."

I swallowed, preparing already for a new storm of rage from the Council. I took a tentative step forward.

"If I may, sir, but why would Ari harbour such feelings? What did Kandrakar do?"

The fact that the Council remained silent, unnerved me. I didn't dare to look at them. I just hoped the Oracle had chided them for the show of disrespect they'd put up during the last time we'd been here. The Oracle showed no sign of what his thoughts were.

"Kandrakar did nothing and that's what he accuses us off."

I frowned. The fact that Kandrakar did nothing wasn't something I was surprised off. But why would someone besides us get angry about it? At least we had reasons to complain. Hay Lin let out a very soft moan and, as I briefly looked at her, saw her shake her head while placing a hand on her stomach. I nodded, before turning back to the Oracle. I needed an explanation.

"I'm not sure I understand," I said.

The Oracle waved his hand. Once again did the image of Ari appear, only this time he was accompanied by a child with straw blond hair. The boy seemed to be zoned out. The gaze reminded me of Hay Lin who'd gone into one of her painting frenzies, or Taranee who was buried in a book.

"Ari has a son, Maqi. He is a young, healthy boy, but different from other children. Silent and solitary, he lives in a world of his own, far from that of others. And not even the magic of the Banshee can bring him out of it. He blames me for inaction and thus Maqi's current status in life," the Oracle said.

I was agreeing with Ari, but I didn't show it. I bit my lip, mulling over my options. I decided to go for the stupidest one.

"Wouldn't...Wouldn't it be simpler to just give Ari what he wants? I assume you've got the power to help little Maqi..."

This indeed elicited a new string of whispers through the Council room. But none were loud enough for me to understand.

"I will not. That is not my task. I am but an observer, a simple keeper of balance," the Oracle said.

I balled my hands. Observer my ass. An observer wouldn't have set my former friends against me. Wouldn't have made Taranee move away. Again I heard Hay Lin whimper softly, but this time I paid no attention. All of it was already reserved for the Oracle and his hypocrisy.

"And yet you alter our lives so it all works out well for you."

I couldn't help myself. I had to speak my mind. I believed to see a short flash of anger in the Oracle's eyes, yet when I looked more clearly at them, they looked the same as they've always done. I heard Taranee agree with me telepathically, while Cornelia requested me to calm down.

"You will relate these words to him. I do not decide anyone's future nor can I make up for mistakes and injustices. This is my final conciliatory gesture."

It was no reply to my response. He just ignored it. Yet I didn't dare to press the issue.

"One way or another, Ari must free the Banshee and renounce his intentions. This is the wish of Kandrakar."

"One way or another?"

I repeated the part that was most concerning. It sounded more like a threat. If the Oracle really only wanted to keep the balance, he should've gotten off his high horse and just healed the kid.

"If you have nothing else to say, you may go."

With that, the Oracle created a fold. I clenched my teeth. I had many more things on my mind, but none would save Ari or our cause. I just nodded and walked through, knowing the others would follow me.

The fold lead us directly to a grant, red palace. You really didn't need to be a genius to figure out that this was most likely Ari's place of residence. Irma whistled in appreciation. The fold snapped shut behind us, leaving us temporarily alone.

"I'm starting to understand that Ari guy more and more," Cornelia said.

"No kidding. Leaving an innocent kid to suffer," Irma said.

"Can't we just do something?" Hay Lin said.

"Like what? I doubt that guy would even let us come close to his son," Taranee said.

I shook my head. We couldn't try to do much now. We were only send to leave a message. Approaching Maqi would probably be seen as an act of war. I rolled my shoulders and looked back, noticing they were all staring at me. Hay Lin was a little paler than when we went to Kandrakar, but when I was looking at her I could see her colour return. Maybe a small dizzy spell? Or a stomach ache due to something she ate? At least she looked better now.

"We're only here to deliver the message. Let's just hope Ari is more open minded than Kandrakar leads us to believe."

I could see them nod, with Hay Lin looking quite upset that we weren't going to save the boy. I know how she felt, but I couldn't change it. Kandrakar hadn't been that accommodating to us and I didn't want them to get another fit that might get us into trouble. Now, self-preservation was more important than the lives of others. Even if that meant ignoring the plead of an innocent boy.

We walked to the gates, where we were met by guards. They were overall quite friendly. It was obvious Ari was not expecting an attack, or we wouldn't have been invited in. The guards didn't bother to ask our names, or titles. When we told them we wished to speak to Ari, I swear I saw them smile in understanding. I really doubt they knew our reason, but they let us enter and guided us to a large room. As we walked, I noticed a severe lack of other guards. When I asked them, they both said that their lord did not have a reason to fear an attack. They were given the job as palace guards as a sort of punishment. It seemed that they'd been caught stealing and, while the old traditions required their hands to be cut off, Ari spoke with them. When he learned they only stole because they couldn't find a job, Ari gave them those positions. They weren't required to be here, but they did so anyway.

The more I listened, the more I thought of Ari as a great man. One who'd gone through more misery than was necessary. How was it balancing to have someone who's good, go through so much misery? I internally frowned at the Oracle's words, before the guards left us. We waited patiently, or as patient as Irma could be.

"The big guy is making us wait for quite a while. Can't we just barge in? It's not like guards will stop us," Irma said.

"Because barging in will convey that we've come in peace, right?" Cornelia said.

Irma shrugged. "All I'm saying is that we could definitely pull it off. Just pull rank."

"With a guy who is willing to try and level Kandrakar with his Banshee?" I frowned.

Irma was willing to argue more, but I already shook my head.  
"Before doing anything, we better think things through," I said.

"That's an excellent suggestion strangers."

I turned around, cursing myself for not paying enough attention. I could hear Cornelia say his name and when I finally faced the one who had spoken, I could indeed see Ari standing behind us. His blue hair was the same as when the Oracle had shown us his picture. He wore a cloak that ended in large feathers, most likely from some local bird. He looked the part, but I could see something dark in his eyes. Like he'd abandoned all his hope. He didn't seem all too impressed with us, or that Cornelia had uttered his name. He placed his hands on his hips and I could see the simple farmer he once was standing now in front of us. Unsure of how to meet guests.

"You know my name, I see... Yet I know nothing about you," he said. This already didn't bode well. "This puts me at a disadvantage, which leaves me no choice but to defend myself."

Crap. If he decided to call on his banshee now, we wouldn't even had a chance to negotiate. I tried my most likeable smile.

"We're the Guardians of Kandrakar, sir," I said as politely as I could. I actually had trouble saying 'Kandrakar', because I was just anticipating a negative reaction. "and we're here to speak with you."

Unfortunately, his face contorted the moment I said 'Kandrakar'. His eyes turned darker and his mouth twisted into a snarl. He growled the word like a wild animal.

"You're very young," he said, circling us. I tried to keep my face straight. Even in Guardian form, we looked little older than 18. In about two years we would – hopefully – look like this. Being called young even now, irked me. "So the Oracle hides now behind little girls."

I took a very deep breath. Cornelia and Irma, both, were ready to tell him different. Or, I thought they would. Instead I saw them staring at me, their faces telling me to speak up or they would do it for me.

"Don't let appearances fool you," I said, the tone carefully balanced between a warning and a sneer.

Ari didn't seem to read much out of it. He stopped his circling and turned his head to us, his glare telling us we should be silent. That kids shouldn't mingle with the things adults go through.

"It was brave of you to travel all the way here, but your journey has been made in vain! I've already said everything I have to say to your master!"

I know that in the past, I would have given Cornelia a stubbornness award, but even she had the ability to listen to others. This guy, he was just vexing for the sake of being it. He was so wrapped up in his own sorrowful life that he refused to listen.

"What happened to your son..." I said.

I could have hit myself for speaking about his son. It was probably the most sensitive subject I could raise. And yet I wanted him to realize that his problem with his son was not our frigging problem. Yet, I never had the chance.

"Don't speak about my son! You know nothing about him! Absolutely nothing!"

It was like a bomb had exploded. He made himself bigger and turned around, his arms emphasizing his words.

"Your Oracle has done nothing for my little boy!"

If I had to imagine someone cursing his gods, Ari would make a pretty could example. He spoke of the Oracle like a magical fairy godmother, there to help everyone at every given time. If he were, we wouldn't be send to different worlds. If he were, he wouldn't have been locked in a miniature Veil.

"He turned a deaf ear to my plea! He never answered my calls for help!"

So did God with mine, yet you don't see me burning churches. I could tell him that, but I doubted he would listen. His explosion of anger had taken us by surprise. We took our distance from him and from the corner of my eye, I saw everyone preparing for a fight. And here I was hoping we could do this without fighting.

"So then, with what right does he call himself the wisest of the wisest. The greatest of the greatest?" Ari's rant didn't seem to end. "With what right does he demand to be respected?"

For a moment, we all looked at each other. I wasn't liking it, but this guy was actually making a point. A very solid one. I couldn't refute his logic, but I still wanted to change his mind. If he were to attack Kandrakar, bloodshed would follow. Unnecessary bloodshed I might add. If only I could make him realize that.

"The Oracle isn't worthy to sit in the highest throne of Kandrakar." If he knew that the Oracle shared that throne with an entire Council, then perhaps he wouldn't blow this up so much. "Which is why I will drag him through the dust! I have the power to do it, and you can rest assured I will!"

How much as I wanted, I couldn't let a threat to Kandrakar slide. I guess I finally realized why Elyon and Matt called us the soldiers of Kandrakar.

"Ari, I can't let you," I said, taking a step towards him.

He looked at me, his eyes shining madly. "Yua!"

A feminine voice suddenly echoed through the room. The voice sounded like someone spoke with their mouth half under water.

"I'm listening Master."

"It's the banshee!" Hay Lin said.

"Looks like we're in trouble! Let's clear out!" Irma said.

I couldn't agree more. I motioned everyone to get out. Our wings reacting only seconds after our feet started to run away.

"Get rid of these intruders spirit! Remove them from my sight! And take them where they can never return!" Ari's voice echoed.

"Retreat guys! Out of here! Out of here!"

I didn't want to sound desperate, but I didn't want to try our chances with a banshee. I didn't know how powerful she was, but if she could make almost every wish come true I figured she could give us a run for our money.

"Your wish will be granted, Master."

Terror gripped my heart as her creepy voice echoed around us. I could see the gates of the palace, when suddenly I could feel the familiar tugging of teletransportation. Only with a more forceful tug than usual.

A second later, the palace had disappeared and I realized I couldn't breathe. Water was surrounding me and I saw the others struggling as much. My vision blurred, but I could still feel the water bubble around me. A bubble appeared around my head and I took some very, very grateful gasps of air. I looked around to see Hay Lin wave at us. I gave her the thumbs up for thinking so quickly. She pointed aside of her, where I could see Irma grinning broadly. Irma was the only one of us lacking an air bubble, but I wasn't really concerned by that. The way she moved told me she was doing just fine. The thing that slightly worried me was that Irma was the reason for the water bubbling around us. She raised her arms, causing all of us to shoot through the water at a high speed. Panic was setting in as I suddenly flew through the air. It took me a few seconds to realize I had wings that actually worked. Shrieks resounded through the jungle as the other girls went through the same panic as I had gone through. I was still trying to calm my heart as Irma's laughter of joy followed the shrieks of terror.

We landed, where Taranee started drying us. Irma was still laughing like she had had the best ride of her life. Hay Lin had managed to see the fun in it and was giggling along. Cornelia was shooting daggers while Taranee decided to focus all her attention on drying her.

"Are. You. Insane?" Cornelia said. "Shooting us off like freaking fireworks!"

"Oh Cornelia, it was fun. And it got us out of the water. Unless you're telling me you've grown stronger in swimming?" Irma said.

I remained silent as I watched Cornelia flush. She decided to halt her discussion in favour of making sure Taranee did not accidentally burn her hair. I could see Irma's victory smile and knew she was ready to gloat over said victory. Something I would stop before she began. I tapped her on her shoulder. Her smile dropped immediately.

"I admit you helped us greatly with firing us out of the water. The current was pretty strong and some of us would have struggled to get out." Irma smiled again at the praise. "But next time, at least warn us beforehand. I understand that if we didn't have Hay Lin's air bubbles, you couldn't have asked. But that wasn't the case."

She nodded, muttering some apologies I didn't need to hear. I grabbed her shoulder and grinned broadly at her.

"It was a great shot into the air though. Always wanted to do that," I said.

She grinned again. "Next time we won't be forcibly teletransported underwater," she said.

I grinned and hugged her shoulders as we watched Taranee dry Hay Lin. Irma suggested to pull the water off of me, to which I agreed. Once everyone was dry we watched the lake we'd landed in. We were in the middle of the jungle. It was quite a pretty cool place to have a vacation here. Or at least some place to chill for a while. And probably could be if Ari wasn't bend on proclaiming war on Kandrakar.

"So what now? Leave and tell Kandrakar the jolly good news?" Irma said.

"We can't really let him go with threatening Kandrakar, can we?" Taranee said.

"I don't know... I can definitely see where he's coming from," Cornelia said.

I didn't want to nod at Cornelia's statement, but I felt the same way. Instead I looked over at the horizon. We could try and fly back, or just teletransport. I was thinking about the latter.

"We're going back. Ari's got to listen to us if we want to stop a war from breaking out," I said.

The reaction was something I was expecting and it somehow seemed a bit hilarious. Cornelia's lips drew together to a line, her eyebrows knitting together in a frown. Taranee looked like she was sure she heard me incorrect. Hay Lin and Irma looked like I slapped them.

"You want to go back up there? Ari is going to kick our butts all over again!" Hay Lin said.

"We can't go back into battle without a plan!" Irma said.

I frowned. I shook my head and turned to them. "I don't want to fight. I just want to talk."

"I don't suppose you want us to fly back?" Cornelia said.

I smiled at her. "How lucky are we that we learned teletransportation just last year."

My reply didn't make her smile, or any of the others. Dread was visible in their eyes, but we had a job to do and I would be damned to let it go past without trying at least one more time.

"If I ever complain that you're being stubborn, Corny, remind me of this. Will would out-stubborn you," Irma said.

"I doubt that's a word," Taranee said softly.

I didn't wait much longer for more complaints or eventual arguments, so I pictured the entrance of the palace in my mind. Within seconds the usual pull followed and when I opened my eyes, the two guards yelped in surprise and I heard the curse of the man we wanted to speak.

"Damnation! Them again!"

Before I could think of anyone who would say 'Damnation', Ari had already stalked inside. The doors flung shut, surprising his two guards. The two men, first surprised and slightly confused at our spontaneous return, now raised their weapons at us. The message was really clear.

"What lousy hospitality! He saw us coming, and this is the welcome he gives us!"

I could always admire Irma's leisure way of handling the situation. When the time came that she would lose her jokes, I would assume her to be dead.

"Stop complaining! He could've done a lot worse than this!"

I raised an eyebrow as Hay Lin chided Irma. She wasn't one to do that, but perhaps even my happy, go-lucky friend needed some seriousness every once in a while. I could see her studying the walls and, as I did so as well, I noticed a severe lack of windows. Ari really didn't want us to get in.

Suddenly, I felt a chill run down my spine. The hairs in the back of my neck were standing on end. I could only wonder for a second why I was feeling this when a loud thunder crash resounded above us. More lightning followed. I felt restless. This was absolutely not me calling a storm. How powerful was that banshee?

"Eyes open girls! I don't like this situation," I said.

I could hear Irma faintly mumble a sarcastic reply, but as per usual I let it slide. The lightning rumbled ominously. We could try to teletransport inside, but I didn't want to risk the banshee manipulating our destination. I didn't know if she could, but I was in no mood to find out. Instead I turned to the two guards, who were trying to enter through the now disappeared doors.

"Call Ari. Tell him he needs to listen to us!" I demanded.

The guards paled. Maybe they thought we were the cause of nature's rumblings. They pounded the wall even harder when the ground started to shake. I looked at Cornelia, who shook her head. It wasn't her who was causing these earthquakes. I could see the cracks reach for us and just when I wanted to lift off into the air, fire erupted from the cracks. The flames grew in a matter of seconds and were a sickly shade of blue.

"Taranee!" Cornelia yelled in alarm.

I could see Taranee frantically try and subdue the fires, but every time she focused, the flames rose higher. Panic was starting to show on her face.

"Let me try!"

Irma prepared hands full of water, but before she could Taranee blocked her.

"No! Don't!"

Irma looked only slightly annoyed, as the raising need for a way to stop the flames was becoming more and more important.

"Someone has to douse them. If you can't, I will!"

I could see this was a blow to Taranee's ego. The Fire Guardian frowned darkly as Irma rose her hands. Even so, Taranee still attempted to stop Irma. She was but a split-second too late. Water cascaded from Irma's hands and unto the flames. They however gave the fire even more fuel. Irma immediately halted when the flames roared higher and I was sure I saw her pale. Not only was the situation becoming more and more dangerous, not just physically but mentally as well. Two of my Guardians were disturbed by their inability of taming the fires and the other two were desperately trying to stop the flames by closing the crevices or evoking the winds. Nothing seemed to work.

"We've wasted too much time. We're surrounded." I took out the Heart and slashed in the air, creating us a fold. "We have no choice then. We're going back to Kandrakar."

When I'd created the fold I hadn't been that specific. I just wanted us gone from Arkhanta and to Kandrakar. That we folded right into the Council Hall was something I should've thought of. Now we immediately faced the Council, while Cornelia was still patting her hair out and both Taranee and Irma were spacing out. Not our best entrance.

Outrage followed our appearance, but they were quickly subdued as the Oracle came forth. His eyes were cold as he regarded us. The silence finally returned and for a full minute, nothing was said. He then cleared his throat.

"There is little to say, I believe. The evidence speaks for all of you. You have failed."

Those last three words, those were the ones that hammered home. It was not fair. We tried. We didn't know Ari would react that harshly. And we did deliver the message.

"It's not our fault! We threw ourselves head-first into Arkhanta without knowing what to expect!"

The Oracle nodded ever so slightly, as if to acknowledge as much.

"And we did deliver the message. His answer seems clear," I added.

Mutterings along the Council arose once again. Though this time they lacked the obvious dislike towards us. I sensed more of a certain discomfort and unease going through the Council. The Oracle momentarily took his eyes from us and scanned the Council as well. When his gaze returned to us, his gaze was grim.

"We'll have much to discuss. Halinor, guide the Guardians to the proper folding chambers and hurry back. These are grim affairs indeed."

My heart almost leapt from joy when Halinor emerged from the crowd of Council members. While her face remained impassive, her eyes radiated with concern and joy for us. She was perhaps the only friendly face in the crowd. She ushered us out and for a moment, no one talked. We rounded a corner and I noticed Halinor looking back.

"What will you be discussing?" I said.

Halinor halted and looked at me. Her wrinkles seemed to be a lot more than I remembered as worry washed over her.

"Ever since the whole Council has returned, Kandrakar's actions seem a lot more direct," she said. "I'm afraid we will discuss the option of war with Arkhanta."

"You can't do that!" Hay Lin said. "Ari's doing this for his son! If the Oracle just healed him..."

Halinor shook her head. "Hay Lin, the Oracle only acts if the situation becomes too dangerous to control."

I looked at the petite Asian. Her head drooped and she stared at the floor. I couldn't remember seeing her like that.

"Can't we try it? I mean, I can heal?"

I looked at Cornelia. Hay Lin perked up visibly and looked at Halinor. I turned my gaze to our predecessor to see her think. She seemed only mildly surprised that Cornelia was able to heal. She looked at all of us and slowly nodded.

"I will certainly vote for that option. A final peace offering from Kandrakar."

I smiled broadly. The others smiled as well. Irma and Taranee finally snapped out of their daze.

"That being said, I want to give you five some advice. You might have noticed the Council's hostility towards the five of you."

I silenced Irma's sarcastic retort before she could even make one.

"That is because the Council has no faith in another set of Guardians from Earth. Yet the Oracle didn't see any harm as you five were the first choices of the Heart of Kandrakar. This does not mean the Council will not try to expose your flaws. My advice to you is to stay low for a while, obey the Council and the Oracle and in time, they will accept you."

I tried my best not to frown. I already had a hard time getting my mother to accept that I need a little more freedom. I didn't want to make an effort like that with the Council. Despite that, I nodded. The others followed my lead and Halinor proceeded to lead us further to the folding chambers. I transformed us to our human forms and as I opened a fold to Earth, I watched Halinor pulling Taranee apart for a moment. Halinor noticed me looking and waved me along. I stepped through, only for Taranee to follow me a few seconds later.

 _"What was that about?"_ I said telepathically.

 _"Tell you later."_

I nodded and turned to the others. We all stared for a moment at each other. In the background we could hear the ruckus of Hay Lin's family restaurant.

"So... Anyone up for homework?" Hay Lin said with a lopsided grin.


	4. Chapter 4 The days we wait

_**[A/N] Hey guys! As many of you pointed out, the previous rendition of this chapter was way off whack! I had used the copy-paste function and it apparently didn't work as expected. Top it off with me going on a vacation of a week and well…Oops. But here it is! The readable chapter 4!**_

 **Chapter 4 The days we wait**

Days passed. I had intended them with normal teenager activities, like going to school and to the movies. Maybe hang at a mall. That was until I noticed that both Irma and Taranee seemed to be more out of it than usual. I caught them both practicing during school hours, albeit as discreetly as possible. Hay Lin told me that Irma was almost unreachable after school and I myself had noticed that Taranee rarely replied, either to my telepathic messages or texts. As Hay Lin and even Cornelia, who'd mentioned to me that she actually started to miss her usual banter with Irma, turned to me, I quickly figured they wanted me to talk to the both of them. With a lot of effort, I managed to get an evening with each. My first target was Irma. Getting her back to normal would at least instil the image that everyone was doing okay.

And so I joined the Lairs for dinner. At the table, whilst Mr. Lair pried into my school life and after school activities – apparently Irma had told them I made sure she didn't do anything bad, but was vague on what she did after school – and Mrs. Lair was telling me old stories of Irma as a toddler, I always kept one eye on Irma. She sometimes whined as her mother told something embarrassing about her, or when her father kept interrogating. When she wasn't, she was either conversing or arguing with Chris. Even so, there were a few moments where she turned silent. She prodded her food and her eyes told me that her thoughts were in a distant place. She just managed to hide it better for her family than for us.

Dinner ended and Mrs. Lair gave us the clear to go upstairs. While Chris complained as to why we didn't have to help with cleaning the table, I followed Irma up to her room. It occurred to me that Irma hadn't been looking at me, at least, not since she opened the door for me. Even now, she avoided my gaze as she let herself drop on the bed. I took the chair and turned it so I would be facing her. I could see a small smile play on her lips. Irma took a deep breath and a very forced smile appeared on her face as she looked at me. It surprised me how natural the smile appeared. I only felt it was forced because well. I would say a gut feeling.

"So Will, why the whole 'we need to talk' business? You're not trying to break up with me, are you?"

Irma's humour was also a thing I frequently admired. How she managed to play down any issue. Even if it was to hide herself from whatever was coming.

"Don't worry, no such thing. I just wanted to talk," I said.

"About what? If it's homework, I've got bad news for you. I haven't started yet."

"Irma, we're a year apart. Even if I wanted your homework, it wouldn't have worked."

"Oh yeah."

A silence fell. It was rare to ever have a silent moment with Irma, but I guess even the greatest blabbermouth in the universe would turn mute when her problems are addressed. I looked at her. She tried to hold my gaze, but she kept looking away. To have Irma look away was by far the strangest thing to ever occur to me. She would look Cedric right in the eye and taunt him. I never saw her like this. Almost...insecure.

"Irma, tell me. What's wrong?"

Irma's smile quivered and she looked again at me.

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong," she said. Her hands balled briefly. "Why would you..?"

I looked her straight in the eyes. I hoped I looked sternly at her, but I couldn't shake a strange sensation of fear. It felt weird and not a part of me. I couldn't quite place it. I tried to quiet it down as Irma's sentence slowly stammered to a halt. She held my gaze for a few seconds. Her hands balled again and she turned her head away. She muttered something, but I didn't quite catch it.

"What was that?" I said.

"I'm sorry, okay. It's my fault we had to fold out of Arkhanta!"

I blinked, surprised. Irma didn't look at me, her eyes were even closed. Was she expecting me to yell at her now? Why would she? Why would she even think it was her fault we ran from Arkhanta? It had been my decision and mine alone. If anyone was to blame, it was me. But us folding away from Arkhanta was nothing to be ashamed about. At least, I didn't think so.

"Will?"

I realised I was staring at her with my mouth slightly open. Irma must have noticed the prolonged silence and had dared to take a peek. She still looked expectantly at me, though I could see a bit of confusion settling in her facial features.

"Why would you say that?"

Irma looked aghast. She really hadn't expected my confusion.

"I made the fires worse! I couldn't douse them!" she said.

"Taranee couldn't douse them either," I said.

At the mentioning of Taranee, I could see Irma scowl a little. That was a first. I didn't know Irma harboured any negative feelings towards Taranee. Irma must have noticed her own facial expression as she tried to feint neutrality.

"Taranee at least knew that I shouldn't try to douse it. I didn't listen," she said.

"That's nothing new," I said.

She looked at me, a very small smile tugging at her lips.

"Ouch," she said.

I rolled my eyes and nudged her knees. She pulled them up and rested her chin on them. The ghost of her smile was still visible, but rapidly disappearing.

"Irma, there's more, isn't it? I mean, I've seen you practice during school," I said.

"Only because she did it!"

I raised an eyebrow at Irma's spontaneous reaction. I hadn't expected her to yell out her defence. I ushered her to calm down and to lower her voice. Irma looked at me as if she was desperately trying to make me belief her.

"Who did?" I said.

Irma's eyes narrowed. "You know who. Taranee."

Once again I raised an eyebrow. Really, usually Irma's competitive side bubbled up when she was trying to outmatch Cornelia or if one explicitly told her she wouldn't be capable of doing it. I'd always figured Taranee was never really a goal to strive past, due to Taranee's superior studying skills. Irma, much like myself, just blatantly sucked at sitting still and study from a book. Irma made that up by being extraordinary at being social, something Taranee couldn't ever dream of achieving. In no way could those two find a field in which they would be each other's equals. Though, now that I thought about it, perhaps at being a Guardian and controlling one's element, they could match each other.

"You're practicing because Taranee is practicing? While I normally wouldn't discourage things like that, I still think it's strange for you to take that as a challenge. Isn't Cornelia your usual 'nemesis'?"

I made air quotes as I said the last word. I wondered briefly if Irma would say something about the air quotes, but apparently I was getting close to the crux of the problem. Irma sat up straight and looked at me. Once again I felt that strange fear bubble up inside me and as I looked at Irma, I saw it mirrored in her eyes.

"You know I'm no match for Taranee. She's the better student, she never gets into trouble. And she never gloats about it. While I... Well, I can't say my grades are top-notch. I can't say I never got into trouble. I swear, my dad wonders how I haven't ended up in jail yet. And you know how I love gloating."

While I would normally use this moment to coin a sarcastic remark, I felt this wasn't the time. I only nodded, hoping to keep Irma talking.

"To be honest, I couldn't explain you how we became friends. Maybe Kandrakar muddled in it, maybe it was a coincidence. The fact remains that Taranee would most likely end up getting well paid and I would struggle to keep my job as a janitor or something."

I looked at her, feeling a tinge of pity. But I also recognized her concerns. In Fadden Hills I felt the same as I looked around my group of friends I used to have. They would be successful, I would struggle to stay afloat. I scooted closer and placed a hand on her shoulder. I didn't say a word, but I think the gesture meant more to her than any word would have conveyed.

"Then along came the Guardian thing. And I found something I could actually match her in. Water versus fire. Anything she could throw, I could douse. It was quite a boost in confidence. I don't know if Taranee ever told you, but before you came, I tended to make Taranee the butt of my jokes every once in a while. I know it's nothing to be proud off, but it made me feel a little better about myself."

That's why bullies exist Irma, I thought. I didn't say it, but I guess my face wasn't hiding my thoughts. Irma winced back slightly, looking truly remorseful. So I just nodded once again and she continued.

"But now we've encountered fire that can't be doused. And I dare to bet my powers on it that Taranee is trying to recreate it. And I have to find a way to stop it. I talked it over with Cassidy and she suggested ice..."

"You've talked to Cassidy?"

I couldn't help but interrupt. A twinge of jealousy crept in my voice, but I managed to mask it. It kind of stung that Irma would go with her problems to Cassidy, the girl who'd been dead for half a century, instead of me. Besides, I doubted that Cassidy knew more about her element than Irma. It didn't seem that way when we fought her.

Irma nodded. "Yeah, I figured that, although she never had the chance, maybe she had some ideas what I could do with my powers. And if I could create ice, I could cut off the fire's need for oxygen in one fell swoop."

Irma was getting more excited as she told me of her plans to practice the ice making. I was impressed to find that she'd thought it out so much already and in the end, I could only nod. The feeling of dread that seemed to linger when I had entered, was lifted as Irma looked at me with a proud smile. Yeah, she certainly liked to gloat.

"I'm glad you like it. To be honest, I thought you came by to stop me."

I shook my head. "I only came by to see what was concerning you. If I'd known this was due to your competitive drive, I would have continued the training in Metamoor. Speaking of which, I would like it if you refrained from practising on Earth. Or at least, without my knowing. It could have been dangerous."

Irma looked down for a moment, before she shrugged. She smiled again at me. "Nothing happened."

"This time." I got up. "Well, it's getting late. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

Irma blinked, surprised, before she nodded. She lead me out and left me to return to my house. It was good to know that Irma's concerns were mostly her fear of not performing well enough. I think I was actually proud of her that she was trying so hard to keep up. Now all I had to do was figure out why Taranee was acting out of sorts.

The next day, Irma seemed to be her regular self. Her jokes cheered up the group and she even got into one of her banters with Cornelia, much to the latter's amusement and chagrin. I hadn't caught Taranee practicing during the school hours. Perhaps she noticed something was off, or perhaps she already knew what I was planning to talk about with her. It didn't matter, I would still go. If only to find out what had gotten into her.

And so as the day passed, I finally arrived at the Cook residence in time for dinner. While I silently mused how fortunate I've been that my mother had to work late for two days straight, I was welcomed into the house. Here dinner was slightly different than at the Lairs. At the Lairs it had been quite the rowdy bunch. The Cooks were a lot more controlled. While Mr. Cook spoke about his day, everyone listened. Everyone got their turn to speak, with sometimes Peter or Taranee interjecting when they didn't understand something or when something came to their minds. They also questioned me, though as my day sounded much alike to Taranee's, I also added my mother's relationship status to my story. It was quite fun to see Mrs. Cook try to keep her face neutral as I speculated about when Mr. Collins would dare and ask me for my mother's hand in marriage. Mr. Cook was a lot more open in his curiosity and kept asking me more and more until finally, Mrs. Cook told him to stop. Only to add that she would personally ask my mom about all this. I just hoped she didn't do it anytime soon.

Dinner finished and we were left with Peter to do the dishes. I found out that doing the dishes at the Cooks, meant the two siblings talking about anything they didn't want their parents to know. Peter's numerous attempts at getting a girlfriend were discussed while Taranee advised him and Taranee told Peter about her and Nigel. I knew enough about the latter. They were getting closer, thanks to our two week holiday. Taranee was once again thinking about taking the boy home, now more certain her mother would accept him. Peter agreed on mellowing things down and they even set a date for when Nigel would come. As I silently watched this while drying the plates, I came to understand Taranee's levelheadedness. She needed to if she wanted to remain both sane and on good terms with her parents.

With the dishes done, we went upstairs. Peter went into his room and within seconds loud music boomed through Taranee's walls, just loud enough to drown out our voices. Either Taranee told him to do this or it was Peter's usual ritual after dinner, I didn't know. But it was convenient.

Taranee made her way to the bed, gesturing me to sit at the other side of the bed. I took my seat and we just stared at each other. I really hated to start a conversation. Taranee knew that. At least Irma was so kind to initiate it herself. I doubted Taranee would. The silence continued, with Peter's music banging through the walls. Finally I decided I just had to suck it up. A deep sigh left my lips.

"Taranee, how are you doing?"

Crap, that sounded ridiculous. I just suck at making a conversation sound normal. I could see Taranee smirk a bit at me, but I continued to look at her stubbornly. It was said, I couldn't take it back.

"Fine," she said.

She wasn't really humouring me. Either she liked seeing me struggle or she was trying to avoid the topic.

"Even when you encountered fire you couldn't control?"

Ouch, her face immediately scrounged up. So there was something annoying her. Though it quickly changed and I thought I saw something akin to admiration in her facial features. A small flame appeared on her finger. It danced happily on her finger, but her gaze was on me and not her flame.

"It has been holding my attention, yes," she said. "I mean, a flame that I cannot control, even after the power boost? A flame that grows instead of shrinks when it encounters water? It's intriguing, isn't it?"

The way she said it worried me, I recognized the tone she was using. It was a result of an unhealthy amount of curiosity to how it would feel to wield such power. I should know, I nearly fell into that trap twice. I could see Taranee staring at me and it made me feel uncomfortable. It was like she was searching me for a sign of agreement. I decided to look at her miniature flame instead.

"You think?" I said.

"You don't?"

The flame extinguished and Taranee moved. She leaned to the side of her bed, searching for something in her nightstand. I moved slightly along with her movements and she quickly returned. She held a small notebook in her hand and was flipping through it. I raised an eyebrow as Taranee seemed to search something in her little book.

"You know, ever since we got these powers I've been thinking of what is possible. Greek fire was something I'd considered, but I had no idea how to approach it. I spoke with Halinor, you know, just when we freed Kandrakar and defeated Cedric and -"

"You spoke with Halinor?"

My deadpanned tone made Taranee stop her search. She looked at me from the top of her notebook. First I saw surprise. That quickly turned into suspicion.

"Of course," she said.

I said nothing. I gestured her to go on, but Taranee wasn't doing that. Instead she continued to look at me. My stomach churned a bit. I didn't know why she was looking at me like that. To be honest, I didn't really want to know that she was asking Halinor for help. Somewhere, it kind of stung.

"Stop doing that."

I raised an eyebrow. "Doing what?"

Taranee rolled her eyes and closed her notebook, leaving one finger between the pages. She gestured with her other hand.

"You know what I mean. I know jealous when I see it."

It was rare for Taranee to be this direct. I first stared blankly at her, trying to compute what she was saying. The moment the meaning of the words hit me, I crossed my arms and furrowed my eyebrows. Taranee actually dared to sigh a little.

"I am not jealous," I said.

"So you are perfectly fine with us asking our predecessors for help and guidance?"

My eyebrow twitched as the corner of my mouth dropped ever so slightly. A very content smile appeared on Taranee's lips.

"You should train in whatever way you see fit," I said.

"Come on Will, spill. I've seen you frown or scowl whenever our predecessors are mentioned. Especially when it's about asking advice on our powers. Just admit that you're -"

Somehow, my fuse blew. I was quite sure I'd gotten used to getting put in a corner, though that tended to happen with Cornelia. Perhaps, now that it was Taranee interrogating me, I realized I'd only gotten better at facing Cornelia and not the others. The volume of Peter's music started to crank up as I finally shouted.

"That I'm jealous because you actually have someone to turn to? That you all already had a year to practice while I had to make do with my makeshift super strength? That, once I got my powers, I realized how terrifying they were? And how reluctant I was to use the tricks that old bat used against us?"

I took a deep breath. My hands had balled up and I was staring at them, no longer able to look Taranee in the eye. I hated to shout at my friends. Especially when it was undeserved. I could hear Peter stumble in his room while his mother shouted for him to turn down the volume. He shouted something about not being able to. It kind of helped me get a perspective. I already felt jealous when Irma spoke of Cassidy. Cassidy already tended to give me the chills, mostly because she was a walking proof of what my powers could truly do. Resurrect those who passed on. Once I realized that, I had promised myself to never mingle with the dead. But it also gave me frustratingly smaller options of what to do with my powers.

I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I took a new breath and the music was slowly turning down. I had to repress a smile. My pent up emotions made it that my outburst had been drowned out for all except Taranee. I looked up, seeing Taranee look at me. Her dark brown eyes shone with understanding. Once the music returned to its original volume, she let go of me.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have said it like that," she said.

I shook my head. "No, you shouldn't. But perhaps good you did. I needed it anyway."

A small grin formed on her face. "You're welcome."

She returned to her original position and held up the book again.

"As I was saying, I had been scrabbling some ideas down. When your makeshift super strength showed up – she winked at me as if she was being funny – I didn't get much. I mean, you could shuck Cornelia's rocks, but she could do that too, so no fun."

I nodded. It had occurred to me as well. Caleb had mentioned that I could always use it to fling forgotten stones at the castle, back during the rebellion. I always told him it was a stupid idea. He didn't like it.

"But with your Quintessence, a lot more comes into play," she said, once again browsing her booklet.

I frowned as I watched her look through it. After Nerissa, I never gave my powers a real thought. I could throw lightning and make immobile things live. To find out that Taranee had probably a whole list of things I could do, unnerved me a bit.

"While I like the idea that you came up with ways to use our powers, how does this tie in with your unhealthy interest in Greek fire?" I said.

Taranee blushed a bit, her eyes still focussed on the booklet.  
"Ah...It was one of my first ideas. I dismissed it after a few very failed tries. But now that I've felt it and once again spoke of the possibilities with Halinor..."

"Once again?"

Taranee looked up temporarily. "The first time was after Cedric. She discouraged me back then for ever trying it. But, well... We've been having telepathic contact since recently and once I explained her again why I wanted to learn it, she gave me a few pointers."

"And why do you want to learn it?" I dreaded the answer.

"Curiosity mostly. Now that we've found enemies that can actually use it, well, it's to keep you guys safe."

Taranee had returned to flipping through the pages of the book, sometimes scanning the pages. My stomach churned a bit at her answer. Curiosity was one of the reasons why I even thought of imitating Nerissa. I loathed to admit it, and never would out loud, but I remember being in awe of Nerissa's seemingly ease with controlling our powers. I was so proud when I learnt that I could control the electrical appliances better than she could. Or when I managed to stop her rampaging objects, even though it was pretty half-assed. I admit I had been curious to reanimating the dead, but decided against it once I saw how much control she had over Cassidy. I started to fear my powers, to be honest. That Taranee, who had been afraid of her powers at first, was now looking through a book with possible ways of using ones powers, was surprising. Maybe she found the courage that I had lost.

"Ah, here. While Greek fire is by far one of the projects I'm most interested in, I was wondering about something else. Something I need you for."

Taranee showed me a page in her book. In the right corner I could see my sigil scrawled. I glanced the page over and my gaze stuck on one word. "Golems?"

I looked up, my eyebrows scrounged together. Taranee nodded at me, her eyes shining brightly.

"Nerissa made Sandpit, so what's to stop you from doing the same? And why just limit yourself with earth golems when you can try to create a golem from the other elements?"

I'd been slightly afraid she would suggest resurrecting the dead. The idea of golems didn't struck my liking either, but I felt immensely relieved. I frowned as I looked over her notes. The concept was simple. I just had to quintessence whatever element I liked, turning it into a golem. I could see that Taranee didn't fully understand the concept of how Quintessence really worked, but the gist was correct.

"I think it cou-"

I didn't get a chance to finish my sentence. A small fire danced on Taranee's palm.

"Taranee, no!" I said, pushing the flame away.

The flame felt warm, but wasn't searing. It also didn't douse. Taranee held the flame up, her eyes shining with the same curiosity I saw earlier.

"It's a harmless flame," she said. "Nothing bad can happen."

"What if I _make_ it harmful?" I said.

Taranee simply shrugged. "I know you won't."

I looked at her. Out of all the girls, Taranee usually seemed the one to think everything through from multiple angles. Cornelia was down to earth, but tended to have tunnel vision and both Irma and Hay Lin were open for anything, ignoring plans or tactics if things were up to them. It was Taranee who feared our powers at first. To see her now so relaxed, in her own house, practicing her powers. It made me feel ridiculous for worrying. I was also quite curious if her theory truly worked.

I took a deep breath and glared slightly at her. I could see her grin, knowing she had won. I swallowed and cracked my fingers. I pointed at the flames and looked at them. The orange tongues danced hypnotically in her hand and I imagined them to be in a certain shape. I first tried something humanoid, like Sandpit, but the longer I stared at the fire, the more a different image came to mind. I felt my magic bubble up and whispered my element. Lightning coursed from my fingers to the flame. Taranee yelped, not in pain but surprise as the lightning barely graced her. It did, however, cause her to drop the flame. I watched in growing anticipation if my magic had had any effect on the flames. Disappointment filled me as the flames grew smaller and smaller until they suddenly flared up.

I looked surprised at Taranee, who held her hands up, indicating she wasn't doing it. My eyes returned to the flames, which had grown back to their original size and had now taken the form I imagined.

"An eastern dragon?" Taranee said.

I shrugged as I watched the small fire dragon float around. I panicked slightly as it came close to my face. Its nose touched mine before I could react. The touch was warm, but not harmful, much like the flame Taranee had held before. As we touched, I felt something connecting to my mind.

 _"Command?"_

I blinked as I retracted from the little dragon. It hovered in front of me. How strange. The voice I'd heard was coarse and raspy. Was it this little thing I created? Did Sandpit have a similar connection with Nerissa?

Taranee meanwhile was looking at it in awe. I noticed that she was moving her hands, trying to gain control over the little dragon. The flames it consisted off flickered and I could somehow feel its worry. I even felt a slight tugging sensation. I gave in to it and saw how the flame dragon finally moved according to Taranee's will. Taranee seemed enamoured by the small fire dragon, one she didn't have to constantly control. She moved him to her hand and had him lay in it.

 _"Help."_

I blinked surprised. I hadn't expected that it would dislike this. Maybe it disliked losing control. I could easily remember how terrifying it was under the control of the Horn of Hypnos. Was this a similar situation for the little dragon?

I looked at Taranee. She was completely shutting off from the world as she studied the small dragon. I felt a small smile form. I reached out to the previously strange tugging sensation. I tugged back and noticed how the small dragon jerked ever so slightly towards me.

 _"Can you bite her? Not too hard, just a surprise nibble."_

Was it a nice thing to ask? No, but I figured it would be fun to see Taranee get bitten by her own idea.

 _"No. Can't."_

I frowned ever so slightly, but decided not to push the matter. It's probably because Taranee is the Fire Guardian. So, I should've known it wouldn't work.

 _"Come back to me."_

I was honestly surprised how it flew so fluently from Taranee's fingers to my outstretched hand. Taranee's eyes widened, realizing quite clearly that she wasn't commanding the little fire golem to do this. The small dragon curled up in my hand, its warmth pulsing comfortably in my palm.

"How?"

I raised an eyebrow. Now not just the golem, but Taranee too was speaking with few words? I repressed a grin and looked from the fire golem to Taranee. Her flabbergasted look still made me chuckle. The little dragon puffed some smoke as if he too was chuckling at Taranee's surprise. Taranee looked from me to the golem and to her own hands. Once again I felt the tugging in my mind. The little dragon looked up at me and I knew what it asked me. I did not give into the tugging and noticed how the little fire golem moved along my arm to perch on my shoulder. I had never seen such a look of betrayal on Taranee's face.

I grinned again, clearly enjoying how the tides had turned, when all of the sudden a knocking came from the door. As the door swung open, the dragon golem on my shoulder disappeared into smoke. I faintly heard it cry out in pain and somewhere in my chest I felt something aching. I looked at my shoulder then at Taranee and finally at the one who had opened the door. Mrs. Cook was standing in the door opening.

"Would you girls care for some cake?"

I just shook my head, still trying to comprehend what had happened. Taranee had just killed my golem. I heard Taranee tell her mother no and while the door closed, I was still looking quite saddened at my shoulder.

"Will? Are you okay? You paled a little when I doused it."

I swallowed. A part of me wanted to yell at her in frustration. She just killed my little golem. It was that I realized that I was calling it _my_ golem that I didn't. Because acknowledging that it was mine, also made me like the idea of golems even more. Especially if I could give them to others. One couldn't ask for better protection during the night.

"I.. I heard it die. I wasn't prepared for that," I said.

Taranee's eyes widened. She took her notebook and pen and started to scribble on the pages. She looked at me again.

"How did it manage to ignore my commands? I was having a harder time than usual getting control of it. And when I had it, it suddenly broke off."

I reclined a bit. My mind was still spinning. I had been controlling those flames. Not Taranee. If I indeed could do that with the other elements... Wow, a shiver ran down my spine. Too much power. Maybe just focus on the golem thing for now.

"I...I had a telepathic connection with it. It begged me to stop you from taking control of it. So I stopped giving you free reign over its movements."

The explanation sounded a lot simpler than it had felt. That wasn't wholly true. When it happened, it all felt extremely natural. But as I thought about it, trying to figure out how I did it, I felt it was more difficult than what I'd just said. But I guess this was the best way to explain it.

Taranee's eyes widened. "You had a _telepathic_ connection with it? _You_ gave _me_ permission to control the golem?"

Well this just felt awkward. I felt a blush rushing up. I started to play with my hair. It took me a while to look Taranee back in the eyes again. As I did, I didn't see the annoyance or irritated look I'd thoughts she was giving me. Instead it was a look of total wonder. I could see that she'd taken her pen and booklet again, the pen already on the paper. I raised one eyebrow.

"Tell me how it felt and if there was a way for me to force it from you and..."

I held up my hands. "Taranee, calm down. I'll tell you everything when we practice it more. I'll make sure we get some more practice with the others, on the condition that you stop practicing alone. I don't really like the danger you put yourself in."

Taranee lowered her pen and booklet. She now raised an eyebrow in return. "Danger? Will, I'm extremely careful that I won't harm anyone or anything."

I shook my head. "That's not it. I trust you do that anyway. I meant that if Irma and I could notice you practicing, who's to say that others don't? For the sake of our secret, I would prefer it if you didn't practice without the rest of us."

I could see Taranee nod in understanding, her cheeks slightly reddening as she realized her mistake. I was just glad she agreed without much ado. This would also calm Irma's nerves a bit. I placed my hand on Taranee's.

"Now let's actually play some games like we told your parents we would," I said.

Taranee grinned at me, the light of the room reflecting in her glasses as she pushed them up.

"Fine. Have you ever played chess? I think you'll like it."


	5. Chapter 5 Secrets unveiled

**Chapter 5 Secrets unveiled**

It was the Saturday of the week wherein I talked to both Irma and Taranee. Nothing peculiar had happened during said week either. Kandrakar hadn't rang and school life continued as usual. Irma did get detention during Mr. Sylla's lessons, but managed to weasel herself out of them. I knew she used her powers, but as neither Hay Lin nor Taranee would confess against her, I had no hard proof. So I let her go on the pretence of no evidence. I did say we could use magic, but the way Irma tended to use it was a bit too much to my liking.

Anyway, we'd decided to make Saturday our training day. We got up early and left for Meridian well before noon. I'd alerted Elyon beforehand and was pleasantly surprised that she too cleared her schedule to with us for the day. Taranee and I had explained the concept of golems, to which Elyon had coined in that she knew of the telepathic connection between golem and master. Apparently, after Nerissa was captured in the gem, Sandpit's connection with her had been broken. As she's still not out, Sandpit decided to recreate the connection with Elyon, as she was his master now. She said it helped a lot, knowing that the sand golem had a voice.

But yeah, we started off practicing with golems. While creating the earth and fire golems were a piece of cake – I had like seven of them in total at one point – the water and air golems were nearly impossible. The water golems kept exploding as I tried to create them and I really needed Hay Lin to form something of air that I could actually see. And even then I tended to miss or the golems just drifted apart. I would figure out how to create them, but in the mean time we focussed on the golems we could make. As I said, at a certain moment I had a good seven of them, but they were very hard to control. With that I don't mean that they rampaged. Instead Taranee and Cornelia could easily take them from my control and it took me a lot of effort to regain it, and then immediately lose it again. I also learnt that the golems could be shaped into many different things, but that a humanoid earth golem and an eastern dragon fire golem were the easiest to control. Maybe there was a basic form for the water and air elementals that I just had to find. Maybe then they would actually form.

After the golem session, we all took a break. Elyon invited us back to the palace, where lunch was served. The lunch that was served was nothing short of extravagant, which was apparently much to Elyon's dislike. I heard her talk to her adoptive father, asking him why the lunch was this big while she had ordered for something simple. He had laughed and said that when the servants realized that their Queen would be dining with the Guardians, they went out of their way to make a grant, yet simple, feast. This caused all of us to grin at Elyon's deep sigh, who just shook her head. I could understand. She couldn't simply punish them for doing their jobs.

The lunch progressed swiftly. I didn't eat too much as I wasn't very hungry. Irma was filling her plate again like she'd never eaten at all. Cornelia was giving Elyon the update of all the rumours of school and Hay Lin was silently mounting a spoon with some food while aiming at Irma. I rolled my eyes, knowing a food fight was imminent.

"How are you and Matt?"

I nearly choked on my food. I looked surprised at Taranee, who was prodding her own chicken – I think it's chicken – while eyeing me. I took a few deep breathers and drank some from my cup. I noticed that the table had gone quiet. Even Hay Lin's would be attack slipped off her spoon. Why, oh why did boy talk always gain the attention of every girl?

"Fine... He's just busy with school and the band. And Napoleon calls him every now and then for training. They're training today."

"He isn't hurt about you staying quiet about your training sessions with Caleb?"

Really, Taranee either knew how to drive the point home or she just liked fishing for information. I noticed how every girl at the table inched forward. Even Caleb, who'd joined us just a few minutes ago and who had remained quiet, seemed interested. I placed my cutlery down and stared a bit at my plate.

"Maybe. He was silent when we returned. And then, with all things happening on Arkhanta and stuff – I swiftly looked at Irma and Taranee – I hadn't had time to hang with him. He's busy and I'm so as well. I texted him, but I can't read emotions from texts."

That wasn't really true. I knew Matt long enough to know that long answers meant he was happy and short answers meant he was either agitated or busy. In case of the latter, he would always explain later what he was doing, be it by text or in person. But lately all his texts had been short, with no explanation afterwards. He wouldn't stay mad about this for so long, would he?

"Ugh."

I looked up to see Hay Lin lean forward a bit, grasping her stomach.

"Are you okay?" Elyon asked, breaking my boy-problems topic.

Hay Lin waved her off. "Don't worry. I've been having these at random moments."

I raised my eyebrow. I knew of a moment when this happened before, but I couldn't put my finger on it. But something told me this wasn't just a case of cramps.

Before we could get into Hay Lin's cramps, or Matt's dented ego, the doors to the room opened. Lyonak entered with his head held high. As he noticed us, a glare flitted over his features. The guy just seemed to have a general loathing for us. Maybe because Cornelia pushed him into a wall. I really should've reconsidered that.

"Your Majesty, if I may intrude?"

A deep, annoyed sigh came from Elyon as she gestured the man in. It was clear he wasn't someone she favoured.

"Your Majesty, I learnt that you have cancelled all of your appointments for today. If I may remind you, Kandrakar is still watching us, ensuring that we are worthy of the contract. For you to abandon your work for _them_ , is not a good sign."

We all collectively glared at the man. I didn't know who he thought he was but he was damn well overstepping his boundaries. I glanced at Elyon, whose face was impassive as she stared the elderly man down.

"Sir Lyonak, I am well aware of Kandrakar's vigilance. You may not have noticed, but I am currently strengthening those ties with its Guardians."

Lyonak's lips became very thin as he squinted at all of us. I nodded to him, seeing the others doing the same. He wasn't fully convinced, with us once again in human form. I didn't bother to prove Elyon right. She was his Queen. It was his choice to believe her or not.

"Be as it may..." Lyonak started.

"As for my duties, my regents and honour guard are looking into them, but I assume you already knew this," Elyon interrupted, gesturing at her adoptive parents who functioned as her regents and Caleb, the only member of the honour guard currently here. They nodded at their Queen's mentioning of their momentary jobs.

Lyonak straightened his collar and seemed to swallow. He nodded at his regents and the honour guard, while bowing his head finally in compliance.

"Of course I knew, your Majesty. I just came to see if you had indeed given them those tasks. For the sake of Meridian, of course."

Hay Lin moaned softly. This caught my attention and I saw her once again place a hand on her stomach. Irma, who sat beside her, let go of her anger at Lyonak and turned to her. Hay Lin was waving Irma off, probably saying it was nothing. I raised an eyebrow while looking at them.

"Well then, you should know better than to question them. They, after all, helped Meridian be freed from my brother." Elyon's tone was icy. Her glare was fixed on the elderly man, who seemed absolutely unimpressed by his Queen's mood. "You may leave."

Lyonak bowed. "As you wish, my Queen. I only wish to serve."

As he spoke, I felt my eyes be automatically drawn to Hay Lin. She didn't groan this time, but she was grimacing. Lyonak left and a silence filled the room.

"Elyon, I don't want to be rude, but who was that bloated toad?" Cornelia finally said.

Elyon was now pinching the bridge of her nose, though smirked at Cornelia's description. Caleb muttered a few curse words but quit after a dark look from Meriadel.

"He is chosen by Kandrakar to sit in the Council on behalf of Meridian. And thus, one of my advisors," Elyon said.

"You sound like you regret it," Irma said with a grin.

Elyon rolled her eyes. "You have no idea. He keeps bossing everyone around, tries to defy me whenever he sees fit and if not for my parents, he might've tried to manipulate me as well. He's a horrible guy and I can't figure out why Kandrakar chose him."

While I was having trouble understanding Kandrakar's choices lately, I did feel Elyon's frustration.

"Taranee, maybe you should read his mind and figure out his motives."

I raised an eyebrow and looked at Irma, who gave Taranee one of her most persuading glances. Taranee, however, frowned.

"No thank you. I won't do it unless I've got a reason or if either Elyon or Kandrakar ask me to."

Irma rolled her eyes. "Come on! It's harmless anyway."

I looked at Irma. "So you would magically suggest...Hmm, let's say your father to shoot himself?"

Irma looked shocked at me. The others turned silent as well. Caleb even choked on his food. Irma's mouth was open and it took her a moment to recollect herself.

"That's different! Of course I won't! But he's family and it would result in his death! If Taranee would just read Lyonak's mind, no one would get hurt!" Irma said.

I shrugged. "You magically suggesting things to your family that would be harmful is something against what you think is not right. Taranee won't read the minds of others unless permission is given, because she thinks that's right. You can't make her do something like that."

Irma frowned and crossed her arms. The others eyed me attentively, as if wondering what the hell I was thinking. I decided to let it go. I made my point and made Irma drop her idea. Furthermore, there was something else I wanted to check.

"Besides, I think Lyonak is quite the charming fellow and completely trustworthy, with nothing but the best interest for Meridian at heart."

I looked discreetly at Hay Lin as I said this. She paled slightly and tried to hide a soft groan. The others looked at me as if I'd gone mad. Even Elyon could no longer hide her genuine shock.

"Now I'm sure you're going mad," Irma said.

"You can't be serious," Cornelia said.

"I'm dead serious," I said.

Hay Lin grimaced again.

"Will, seriously, what was in your food to make you say that?"

I grinned smugly at Irma, prodding my food a bit before smiling broadly at the others. I imagined it looked quite ridiculous, but I was actually giddy with my new discovery. My grin fell quickly as I finally remembered when I'd seen Hay Lin react like this before.

"Will?"

I looked at Elyon, who looked slightly concerned at me. I shook my head.

"No, I was lying. Don't worry. If anything I think he's suspicious and you should keep an eye on him, Elyon," I said.

"If that was your idea of a joke then..."

I shook my head again, interrupting Irma's threat. I looked slightly apologetic at Hay Lin.

"I'm sorry Hay, I just realized something."

Hay Lin looked at me. She was looking better again, as if nothing had happened before. It was perhaps a good thing she recovered so quickly. If she didn't and we were ever to fight a pathological liar, Hay Lin would be out for the count.

"Realized what?" she said.

I placed down my cutlery. "You can detect lies."

Hay Lin looked at me. Irma was already trying to disprove my theory. Cornelia was saying I was being ridiculous, while Taranee was asking Hay Lin about how long ago she got this power. Hay Lin remained silent as she looked at me. I was sure I could see her think. I'd expected her to counter my declaration. Instead she slowly started to nod.

"That...Makes sense, I think. I mean, I've been getting these dizzy spells too often and too random for it to be an illness."

I nodded satisfied. The conversation went completely into this new fact. Taranee had taken out her booklet – the same I'd seen a few nights before – and started asking how it felt exactly. Irma was telling Hay Lin she had to work on her poker face if she ever wanted to play tricks with her again, seeing how she would give any lie away right now. Cornelia actually agreed on the poker face, though from a different angle. Her aim was to convince Hay Lin to acquire a poker face or their secret would be blown. Elyon sometimes chimed in, saying that if Hay Lin ever had the time, she could perhaps attend a hearing or two, to ensure that everyone spoke honestly. Hay Lin was just trying her best to answer everyone.

I remained silent. I knitted my brow and thought back to the first time I'd noticed Hay Lin acting like this. I hadn't taken much notice of it back then, due to all the things happening so soon afterward. But as I replayed the memory, some things didn't sit right with me. I had to figure out the truth, and I was afraid only one person could answer me truthfully. At least, I hope she would.

"Will?"

As I got up, the conversation dropped again. They all looked at me and I realized I hadn't spoken at all. I just smiled faintly at them, hoping it would take some of their concern away.

"I just thought of something. I have to check it. I'll be back."

With that I took my leave from the table. I could hear them calling after me. I heard the scraping of chairs over the floor and I took out the Heart of Kandrakar. I could see them approach me, but I focussed and prayed my plan would work as I opened a fold.

"Where are you going?" Cornelia said.

I turned briefly to them. My very fake smile was still on my face.

"I'm just checking something. You continue, I'll be back soon."

With that I ignored any further protest. With just one quick prayer I stepped through the fold and closed it immediately behind me. I just hoped that Taranee hadn't read my mind before I left. It didn't really matter now. Now I had to focus. My fold had taken me to a cave. It was dimly lit and I could make out a sort of lake beneath. I myself had landed on a staircase. I could see strange fabric cloths coming from the ceiling of the cave and going all the way to the lake and to the shadows where the lights couldn't reach.

"Drip. Drip."

I stiffened. It was a voice who made the sound. A female voice. I swallowed softly and peered over the edge of the staircase.

"Come. Closer. Drip. Drip."

I balled my fists. If my guess had been right, the person to whom I wanted to speak was right below me. If not, well, I would have walked into a trap. I slowly descended the stairs, keeping my back straight and one eye out for danger. As I approached the lake I could see a shift in the robes. Circles appeared in the water and from it, a woman came. Her complexion was a sickly green while her eyes were a darker green. Her yellowish robes were tattered and as I got a closer look, I could see some motley green blemishes on her forehead. Her light green hair was long and part of it obscured her face. A very dangerous smile rested on her lips.

"Guardian, I am surprised. Are you here to kill me? If so, you are foolish to believe you can do so without your full powers."

I raised my hands, hoping it would signify that I came in peace. I wasn't really sure if the same gesture applied to Arkhanta as well. The Banshee made no real attempts of either attacking or defending. Instead, she just looked at me, raising one of her eyebrows. Maybe my gesture was puzzling her, or perhaps it was the idea of me coming in peace that boggled her mind.

"I am not here to attack you, lady Banshee," I said, hoping that some courtesy would coerce the Banshee to listen to me. "To prove this, I came untransformed."

A soft chuckle left her lips. "Then what would a Guardian of Kandrakar do here if not to kill me? Am I, after all, not the cause of all your problems? Without me, Ari has no power to attack Kandrakar."

"I know that. But there is no sense in killing you when we can solve this peacefully."

This time the laugh was fruitless. "Peacefully? Oh but my little Guardian, I do not wish for peace. I do not wish this to be over so soon. Once Ari frees me, and trust me he will, I want to hear him scream. I want to see his tears of desperation. My revenge will trap him just as tightly as these bonds tie me."

This wasn't going the way I wanted. I didn't know enough about Banshees to make a next move. Could I approach her with sympathy or should I detest her? I couldn't really blame her. Ari had taken her from her home, just by making the one wish that is seen as betrayal by a Banshee. I stared at her and I could feel the anger radiating from her. It wasn't meant for me, at least not yet. I had to calm her down.

"He took you from your home. Your loved ones. You want him to attack Kandrakar. You want him to lose and feel defeat. You may even hope his remaining loved ones will suffer," I said.

The Banshee had taken an aggressive pose when she'd spoken, but was mellowing down as my words echoed softly through her cave. She looked attentively at me, as if trying to read my mind.

"You have an extraordinary sharp eye," she said.

"Thank you."

"You are not here to attack me. You came here by fold, while never having seen this place. Tell me Guardian, how did you arrive here. That was your fold, wasn't it?"

I blushed and hid my smirk. Her anger was still there, but now at a much lower intensity. Instead curiosity got the better of her. I inclined my head just slightly, accepting whatever praise I could get.

"I used what I'd heard of your voice. I also figured that you would be near the palace. I gambled on a room beneath it. If I'd gambled wrong, I'd..."

"You would have ended up in solid rock. A very unpleasant sensation," the Banshee finished, nodding her head. I merely inclined my head once more, before looking her back in the eyes. The Banshee was leaning on one of the rocks in the small lake, as if pondering something. She finally raised her eyebrows in an impressed fashion and shrugged. I guess I made some impression.

"What is it that made you come here, Guardian?"

I lowered my arms and gestured to a rock nearby the lake. My unspoken question was answered as the Banshee gestured towards it and I took my seat. I clasped my hands together and looked at her.

"I had some questions. And a proposition."

The smirk returned to the Banshee's face. She cackled softly. She came out of the water and sat opposite on me on the stone she'd just been leaning against. She placed one leg over the other, and placed her hands on top of it.

"I am currently in the service of a master, any wishes you -"

"I have no wishes that require magic from your side. I only have questions I wish an answer to so I can solve this problem in a way everyone might win from. That's also the reason I want to make a proposition."

I got the Banshee's attention. Her brow knitted in concentration and she looked me over one more time. She gestured with her hand, indicating I could continue.

"You wish to be free. You wish to return to your own family, your own home. You also want vengeance on Ari. You should know that if Ari indeed starts a war with Kandrakar, it could also mean the end of your life, and those you love. I doubt that, with Kandrakar's current policy, any creatures as dangerous as your kind are allowed to remain alive if they prove to be a hazard for Kandrakar."

I could see no reaction to this on her face, yet I did feel something. As if my own heart skipped a beat in surprise and fear. But it wasn't my own. I looked at the Banshee, but she remained impassive. Her eyes had widened only ever so slightly.

"Continue," she said.

I swallowed. So far, so good. "If we manage to befriend Ari and convince him of your release, you can still have your revenge. In this scenario, I would recommend you not harming him directly, as he would fall under our protection. And with that, Kandrakar's. If you attack him, the same would apply as scenario one. However this – I motioned to the ceiling, hoping the palace was indeed above us – all his wishes, you could revoke those, couldn't you? It would be an indirect revenge, but it would hit him harder in the long term and technically not make him an enemy. He would lose his prestige, his fortress and the fertile lands you made for him. In essence, this would be a better revenge than merely killing him or his son."

I saw a small smile play on her lips, as if mentioning Maqi dying by her hands was either fun or a strange thought. She nodded along and I continued, growing bolder as I spoke.

"If he would not become our ally, I and the rest of the Guardians will free you. I am positive we can and that we will. If that happens, you are free to take your revenge on Ari however you wish, as he is outside of Kandrakar's protection."

I was honest. I really believed everything I'd just said. I was quite sure Kandrakar would wipe out the Banshees if this one helped Ari in his attack. I was certain that if the Banshee revoked all of Ari's wishes, he would suffer more than when he would die. And how much I despised it, but if Ari would deny our request to become an ally, I had to make the choice and keep the girls out of it. But I wasn't planning on letting that happen. No, I already had something in mind and I was sure he would ally himself with us. I just needed him to do only one more thing before he would free the Banshee. But that was something for the future. For now, I had to convince the Banshee.

"I see. You make an interesting point, Guardian. But why try and convince me?"

I balled my hands. "I just want to avoid bloodshed. That's why I want to make a deal with you. We will free you, either by Ari's word or by our powers. In exchange, you and your kin will not exact physical or magical vengeance that would directly harm the people of Arkhanta. This would exclude Ari and Ari alone when you are freed by the Guardians. I want you to vow this on the Heart of Arkhanta."

The Banshee started to laugh. It was high pitched and almost screeching. I winced and refrained to put my hands against my ears. I just stared at her and hoped she would calm down soon. She slowly started to wheeze and finally she was only chuckling in herself.

"Guardian, you have a way with words. For your courtesy as well as giving me my chance of revenge, I shall indulge in your game. I vow on the Heart of Arkhanta that me or my kin shall not exact physical or magical vengeance for my servitude that would directly harm the people of Arkhanta, excluding Ari of Arkhanta if I am freed by the magic of the Guardians of Kandrakar."

I let go of a deep sigh. This had been worrying me and I was actually relieved this went so well. At least the people of Arkhanta were safe. Now I just had to know a few more things.

"You mentioned questions. You haven't asked them yet," the Banshee said.

I inclined my head again. "True enough. I have but one question, to be honest. I was wondering. Is it true that Kandrakar had no hand in the illness of young Maqi?"

I said this and my memory went back to when we had gotten our mission. Hay Lin's groan of pain when the Oracle had claimed that Kandrakar had done nothing of which Ari accused them of. I wanted proof.

A smile formed on the Banshee's lips. She started to let herself submerge back into the waters and I was afraid my audience with her was over.

"I believe, young Guardian, that you already know the answer," she said.

My stomach turned. They had done something to Maqi. But why? I looked at the Banshee. Her head was the only thing that was still above water. Her ghastly green eyes looked at me and I thought I saw a spark of interest in her eyes. I wouldn't get another question.

"You are a dangerous individual, Wilhelmina. Kandrakar knows this as well."

With that she submerged completely. I got up and bowed to the lake, before creating a fold. I wasn't going to risk being caught here while mulling over the words of the Banshee. I stepped through the fold and felt a force closing it up. I barely managed to get my other foot out of it when it snapped shut. I also got a feeling I wouldn't be able to create yet another fold to that place.

A deep sigh left me and I took the nearest chair I could find. I was back at the dining room. The servants were busy cleaning the tables and I noticed Caleb sitting opposite of me, looking surprised and curious. I ignored his stare as I tried to calm my heart down. The Banshee's words echoed through my mind. What did she mean with her final sentence? And why would Kandrakar interfere this heavily into the life of someone who was not affiliated with Kandrakar? I placed my head in my hands, trying to order my thoughts. It was Kandrakar's fault this whole circus started with Ari. But going there, blaming them, it would only make me seem untrustworthy. A betrayer to Kandrakar. If I went against them, I couldn't right the wrongs they'd done. None of us could. Halinor's warning now came to mind. She had advised us to obey.

"And?"

Caleb pulled me out of my train of thought. I had to discuss this with the girls. I looked at him and I could see a bit of annoyance streak his features. It took me a moment to realize that he was inquiring about my sudden disappearance.

"I went to check something for our current mission," I said. I didn't want him to get involved. "Where are the girls?"

Caleb was obviously not happy with me pushing him away. I could just see him huffing in annoyance with me and gave me a mild glare. I returned it. He had to learn that he could not always be there for us.

"What did you find out?"

He wasn't giving up. But neither was I. If I revealed what I had learnt to anyone on Metamoor, I would endanger too many people. Me willing to discuss this with the girls was already dangerous. I would not wilfully take the Merdianites with me.

"Guardian business," I said. "Where are the girls or do I have to ask Taranee?"

Caleb got up. A few of the servants that had been secretly keeping an eye on our conversation started to scurry away. The room emptied quickly as the now honour guard of the Queen was staring me down. He planted his hand on the table, making it tremble ever so slightly.

"Why will you not share what you have done?"

I remained seated. "Because this does not concern Meridian."

"It concerns Cornelia."

I raised an eyebrow. "And?"

Caleb balled his hand and slammed it once again on the table. He was intimidating, his anger seething behind his eyes. His concern palpable.

"So it concerns me! Haven't I been your ally?"

I nodded, breathing heavily through my nose. I got up, already mentally contacting Taranee.

 _"Where are you?"_

"Yes, you have been our ally and I hope you will remain so in the future," I said.

Caleb glared at me, as if he wanted to tell me that he hadn't given me permission to stand.

"But this does not concern Meridian. I do not want to unintentionally pull you into a problem that can also be solved otherwise. Besides, you are a dear friend to me. I would hate myself if something happened to you in a mission you don't have to be a part in. Also, Cornelia would kill me."

I watched as my words seemed to have a slight effect on him. He breathed heavily through his nose and straightened his back. Taranee decided to reply at that moment.

 _"We're back at the training grounds. You might want to hurry, Irma is driving Hay Lin insane."_

I figured that I would find out what Irma was doing when I got there. I nodded at Caleb and made my way out. He didn't call me back. I could only hear him slam his fist into the wood one more time. I shook my head. I appreciated his concern and his willingness to help. But he had to realize that he couldn't be there all the time.

 _"Caleb was supposed to tell you where we were. Did you miss him?"_

I shook my head, even though I knew Taranee couldn't see it.

 _"He and I had an insignificant falling out. He forgot to tell me."_

 _"About what?"_

 _"Something I'll tell you guys when I arrive."_

With that I shut down the telepathic connection and made my way to the training grounds. When I arrived, I noticed Taranee and Cornelia sitting leisurely as they watched what seemed like Irma and Hay Lin in conversation. As I approached I could see Hay Lin wince more and more and sometimes grabbing her stomach, while Irma continued speaking. Once I was standing next to Cornelia, I could make out what Irma was saying. And I was impressed. She was stringing a number of lies together with little effort, while Hay Lin was trying to keep a straight face. Though it seemed like Irma was overdoing it a little.

"Will, you're back!' Cornelia said, looking surprised from the conversation to me.

I nodded. "How long?" I said as I nodded at the two.

Taranee, who had been watching with her mouth slightly open, raised an eyebrow.

"Shortly after you left. Irma figured it to be a good idea to train Hay Lin's poker face. Seeing how it could make or break any and all of her own lies."

I smirked a bit as I watched them go at it for a while longer. Irma's lies were ridiculous, but said with such an air of confidence that anyone who did not know her, could actually believe her. I watched them as I thought back to my conversation with the Banshee. She was indeed a terrifying creature and I guess I should count myself lucky that I even made it to her lair and that she did not try to do away with me. However the answer she gave me, along with the warning, made me feel sick. And angry. Kandrakar was wilfully starting a war with Arkhanta. It didn't matter if Ari knew the truth or was assuming that Kandrakar had a hand in Maqi's condition. It was reason enough for him to attack Kandrakar. The longer I thought about it, the angrier I got. Kandrakar had sent us to Arkhanta, fully knowing that Ari would ignore our warning. They wanted to twist our views about him. We wouldn't feel any regret if they would send us to fight him, as long as we perceived him to be a pompous bastard who only acted in his own interest. I just couldn't understand why. I had always believed that Kandrakar was there to keep evil at bay. Ari wasn't evil. And Maqi wasn't either. So then why would they curse the boy and start a war?

I balled my hands. I could just feel my anger throbbing through me and I breathed heavily through my nose. I realized that I'd been staring at nothing when suddenly Hay Lin's voice thundered and broke me out of my thoughts.

"ENOUGH!"

I shook my head and looked up. Irma was laying on the ground, surprised and slightly shaken. Hay Lin was breathing heavily, her face still twisted in a grimace. One hand clutched her stomach, the other was balled and hang next to her body.

"You went too far, Irma," Cornelia said.

I frowned. I heard some disdain in Cornelia's voice. I guess it should be normal, but Cornelia wore an almost angry frown as she walked up to Irma to help her up. Taranee walked to Hay Lin and placed a hand on her shoulder. Yet I was sure I could see an angry scowl as well.

"Sorry Hay Lin," Irma said, patting the dust off her clothes. "Though you could have asked it nicely."

I felt a tad woozy as I pinched the bridge of my nose. Hay Lin's heavy breathing was slowly calming and she was already apologizing to Irma when I finally approached.

"and you just kept on and on and I was afraid I'd lose my lunch and I'm sorry I should've said something but you kept..."

I placed a hand on Hay Lin's shoulder, effectively shutting her up. She looked surprised at me, as if only noticing me just now. It was quickly followed with an evasive and embarrassed glance.

"I think we got it Hay Lin," I said. I turned to Irma. "While what you were doing was a good idea, you might not want to overextend. Making her face so many lies in so little time will give her indigestion and not exactly a greater resistance to the feeling."

Irma shrugged, giving me a slightly impish grin. "She was getting better though."

I rolled my eyes. It was only now that I became aware of the fact that Elyon was not here. It was noticed by the others as Cornelia spoke up.

"Elyon went off, saying she remembered something. She should return within the hour."

I nodded in appreciation.

"Speaking about wandering off. Why did you leave so mysteriously?"

I told them. At first there were shocked reactions and attempts to interrupt me, most likely to ask me how crazy I was. It took me a while to silence them and when I finally was allowed to speak again, I told them everything. Once I was finished, there was no verbal reaction. Cornelia was frowning. Hay Lin had paled. Taranee was staring into the distance and Irma gave me a look that I could only describe as confused.

"How would the Banshee know what you thought?" Cornelia said. "I mean, we didn't even know you did."

"And how are you sure she didn't lie?" Taranee said.

I looked at the both of them. They made a point. There was no proof that the Banshee could read minds or that she would be honest with me. Yet I could only say it was a gut feeling that she had been truthful with me.

"How about that warning she gave you? Why would you be dangerous?" Irma said.

I shrugged. I hadn't given that a lot of thought. I just assumed she meant that my powers made me dangerous. Anyone with my powers would be dangerous. But Kandrakar was well equipped against such individuals. I was more concerned about the fact if the Banshee had spoken the truth.

"The point is, what if the Banshee spoke the truth?" I said.

"That's simple. We quit being Guardians."

I looked impressed at Irma. She was about one of the last people I would have expected to say that. Especially because of how she loved her powers the most. Even the others looked surprised.

"You would give up your powers for that?" Cornelia said.

Irma shrugged, her face already showing signs of stubbornness. "Look, I know what you guys think, okay? I love magic. I really do. But I won't work for a guy who wilfully starts a war while playing innocent. I would've gone into war for them with a sufficient reason, like us joining the rebellion here on Meridian. But this backstabbing and politics? No thanks. They can shove it up their asses, along with my powers and title."

I nodded. I acknowledged her reasoning, I was also relieved to know that Irma, despite her sometimes dabbling in the moral grey area, still had the morals I expected her to have. However, I was not agreeing with her.

"I wouldn't quit being a Guardian."

"Will!"

My name, echoed thrice, sounded ridiculously loud on the now silent training field. I winced only slightly, as the shock was registered on all of their faces. Only Hay Lin didn't seem to be fully participating in the conversation.

"Why would you say that? You can't possibly mean you would go through with starting a war?" Irma said.

I shook my head, and as I did I could see realization dawn on Cornelia's face. She nodded at me thoughtfully.

"If we quit, they would find other Guardians. Guardians who might obey them without question," she said.

I nodded at her. "Yes. As long as we remain Guardians, we can try and find loopholes in any order they give us. We can keep the peace that we are supposed to protect."

Comprehension now dawned on both Taranee and Irma, who nodded along as well. It did also snap Hay Lin out of her thoughts as she suddenly looked very alarmed.

"That would perhaps be the best decision," she said.

We all looked surprised at her. Our confusion was obvious enough for the young Asian to continue.

"I...I heard my grandmother and Mira argue a few nights back. Mira and grandma have been chosen to sit amongst the Council of Kandrakar."

I raised my eyebrows. I did not know this. A few weeks ago I would have thought this to be a fantastic opportunity for Yan Lin and Mira. Now, after seeing the full Council, I wasn't so sure. I didn't think Yan Lin would like the formality and the stiff upper lip of the full Council. I'd assumed the same counted for Mira.

"Mira wanted to accept it. My grandma didn't," Hay Lin said. "Mira called my grandmother a traitor to Kandrakar for rejecting the offer. Grandma retaliated by saying that she's had enough of being a loyal mutt for Kandrakar – they spoke Chinese, so I'm just translating – and Mira got angry enough to walk away. I hadn't caught the beginning of the conversation though. I think this has been going on for quite some while."

"Did you talk it over with your grandmother?" Irma said.

Hay Lin nodded. "She didn't want to say much, but she regretted it that Mira lacked the strong personality she had."

"That's Nerissa's fault!" Cornelia said.

I nodded. While Nerissa made the mistake of giving my altermere the same hard-headedness I was known for, she was certain to not do that with Yan Lin's altermere. Mira was more easily persuaded than Yan Lin, though I'd always believed them to be near identical. I guess that, after being into existence for so long, Mira was growing her own personality with corresponding thoughts. I just hoped they were the right ones.

"That may be, but grandma gave me the same warning Halinor gave us. She said that the last time someone went against the Council, she lost two friends."

The implication was enough. I frowned. Yan Lin, Halinor and even Kadma had told us the same story Kandrakar had given us about Nerissa. Yet now Yan Lin hinted that something more was going on. I said nothing. Instead I just pursed my lips and scanned the others. Taranee frowned as well. Cornelia clacked her tongue, but said nothing. Irma had closed her eyes and was rubbing the bridge of her nose. Somehow we'd gotten ourselves into trouble without even trying.

"Lay low. Obey orders. I guess we can work that out," I said.

The others nodded, yet the silence remained. It took us a while before we started practicing again. I decided to mainly keep my mind on the golems. I practiced on one earth golem, while Cornelia tried to take the control away from me. Irma practiced on her ice making. Hay Lin took a relieved breather from her poker face training and merely practiced her control. Taranee tried practicing her Greek fire. We weren't fully focussed though. Irma mostly made the water evaporate instead of freeze. Hay Lin caused random blasts of wind whenever she got lost in thoughts. Taranee's fire did change colour, but by the look on her face that was all it did. As for me and Cornelia. I learned that having one golem was a lot easier than controlling seven as now my full attention was directed at keeping control over the single golem I had.

Elyon returned to our training field and we tried our best not to look like something bothered us. She questioned me about my sudden departure. I only told her it had something to do with our current mission. Elyon frowned when I told her this, but she accepted it nonetheless. We'd all decided it was for the best to keep Elyon and Matt out of this. We didn't want to see if Kandrakar's threat was more than just words and involving Earth and Meridian was not our main objective.

As our training was coming to a close, I had a discussion with Caleb and Vathek. Both were certain that I at least got the basics covered and should think about a style I wished to learn. I'd asked them why I couldn't just go with the style Caleb used, when the boy had admitted he was still learning. He'd placed his hand-to-hand combat skills as lesser important than his sword fighting during the civil war. So the next time I would have to ask for Julian and Raythor, who would instruct me in several styles and see which one would suit me. It was not like I had any reason to argue and only shrugged as a response. The day ended without much excitement and as we were on our way to return home, Elyon stopped us.

"Before you go, I wish to ask something of you," she said.

I had my hand already in the air to make the fold and was slightly surprised. I shared a glance with the others. I hoped she wasn't going to ask me to disclose our mission. I lowered my hand and nodded, gesturing her to continue.

"There is something I wish to discuss with you," Elyon said, gesturing at the chairs in the dining room.

We all took our seat and watched patiently as Elyon paced a little before placing her hands on the table. Somehow she looked a little queasy. I felt a bit anxious, but once again I was sure it wasn't my emotion. I ignored it and watched how Elyon took a deep breath.

"First of all, I was wondering if you could join me at a meeting in a few months."

I raised an eyebrow. I wasn't the only one surprised by the request and it was Cornelia who spoke up.

"What meeting?"

A small blush crept over Elyon's cheeks. She made eye contact with us, and I could see how she steeled herself.

"There's a meeting between all kings and queens of Metamoor. They invited me now that Meridian is finally at peace. I…I would like you five to be there, along with Caleb and Raythor as my support."

I nodded slowly. It was not difficult to see why Elyon was asking this. We were Guardians and she was just introducing herself to the other rulers. If she arrived with the Guardians, she would immediately gain quite some respect. I also saw the problem right there.

"I don't know Elyon," I said. "I mean, I would love to come and support you. But we would have to ask Kandrakar first…"

As I said it, I could see Cornelia glare at me from the side. I could feel someone wanting to create a telepathic connection with me and I was not in the mood to argue with Cornelia that way. So I declined it. It made the attempts only more invading and tiresome, but I remained stubborn. Elyon's eyes had widened and she shook her head, her hands waving for extra emphasize.

"No, no, no!" she said. "I didn't mean like that! I don't want them to know you're Guardians! If I were to arrive with such a power at my side, they might think I was planning to attack them!"

I smiled as I leaned back. So Elyon had thought it through. She looked flustered at me.

"I could just use you guys as some extra mental support. And besides, you are also from Earth. You could easily pose as my allies from Earth if they were to ask your connection to me."

I didn't have to reply. The others grinned and nodded, saying they were happy to help. I merely nodded along. I didn't need to add anything else to it. I glanced shortly at Cornelia, who signalled me that if I were to object to Elyon's request, she and I would have a long discussion. I merely grinned at her. I knew that Cornelia wanted to help Elyon. Elyon was her best friend after all. I knew to what Cornelia was capable of when it came to helping Elyon out. I'd lost the Heart of Kandrakar once thanks to that. So I was not going to argue with her about this. I just hope she realized why I brought up Kandrakar. They all had to know that we had to be extra careful in our way of acting as Guardians if we wanted to live through this.

Elyon seemed very content with our consent and she breathed out in relief. She smiled at us and inclined her head.

"Thank you. The meeting will take place in three months. If I'm not mistaking, it should coincide with the Spring break."

"Aw yes, Spring break in Metamoor!" Irma said, pumping her fists into the air.

I rolled my eyes. Though I had to admit it was a nice thing to look forward to. I just had to talk to Matt about this. He would have to ask Elyon if he too was allowed to come. I couldn't just make him tag along, though I hoped that Elyon would give the green light for him to join us. It would be nice to have him around as well.

Elyon had brightened up. I frowned slightly as I bit my lip. Elyon put a lot of weight in our opinions. While I felt honoured, I also thought she would do better not to depend on our opinions on these matters. We weren't up to date with the events of Metamoor. We were not suited to speak our thoughts about this. I might mention this during our trip to that meeting. For now it didn't really matter.

"Thank you so much," Elyon said.

"You're welcome Elle," Cornelia said with a smile as she hugged the young Queen. "You know you can count on us."

For a short moment, I was quite sure we all thought the same. Elyon could count on us, as long as Kandrakar would not interfere. The moment passed quickly and we all smiled as we got up from our seats.

"I know," Elyon said.

We said our goodbyes and this time left through the fold I made. We arrived in the Silver Dragon basement and I let out a sigh. Today had been more testing than I thought. I said goodbye to the girls and left quickly. Mom had asked me to be in time for dinner and I assumed it would be with professor Collins. My assumptions were correct. I'd barely entered or I heard my mom laugh while a male voice laughed alongside her. I rolled my eyes a bit before announcing my presence. Lo and behold, two heads peered out of the kitchen. My mom, with a slight blush on her cheeks, and professor Collins, with a cheeky grin.

I smiled at both of them, reminding myself I'd promised to give Collins a chance. He'd risked his life to save my mom. He deserved to date her without me trying to sabotage him. I set out to set the table, with him helping me along. It was slightly awkward, seeing a teacher out of school, but I was starting to get used to it. He'd asked me about my day and I replied I'd been with the girls. He tried to get more out of me and I told him that Elyon had invited us for Spring break. My mom had heard me and as Collins was close to interrogate me about Elyon, she interrupted. She gave me the green light to go as she had been planning to go on a small vacation with _Dean_. I was silently grateful I wasn't required to come along. With that we started dinner, where I asked Collins about the new teacher. This got Elyon off his mind and he lamented about how Sylla was taking the attention of every student and how it was becoming difficult to be 'as cool' as the new teacher. I grinned at that.

Dinner passed and as I left my mother and her date alone in the living room, I reclined to my room. I texted Matt, giving him a very short summary of today. Mostly I told him about Elyon's proposition and if he wanted to come along. If so, he had to ask Elyon himself. I just hoped he wouldn't ask me why I didn't ask Elyon. I didn't want an argument now. My phone buzzed quickly after I'd sent the text. I grimaced. It only said 'ok'. I really needed to talk to him.

I placed my phone on the table and let myself fall into my bed. I stared at the ceiling, slowly feeling how tired I actually was. I reluctantly got out of bed to at least undress myself. With my pyjama half done I let myself fall into my bed again. Whatever troubles would come, I'd deal with them in the morning.


	6. Chapter 6 Loyalty tested

**Chapter 6 Loyalty tested**

A few weeks had passed since my confusing meeting with the Banshee. There had been no buzz from the Heart or a surprise fold to Kandrakar during those weeks. If anything I'd thought of them to be eerily quiet. Whatever Kandrakar was discussing about, it was taking them a lot of time. Especially for a fortress that could presumably be in and out of time.

I guess I shouldn't complain too much. It gave us a lot of time to work on everything else. But before I indulge in the numerous training sessions we had and the progress made, I first want to reflect on my relationship with Matt. After I'd texted him about Elyon and once again received a short reply, I visited him. Matt could hardly avoid me in his own house. I was therefore surprised to find his mother and grandfather at home, while he was out. His grandfather had told me that he'd sent Matt to the pet shop to pick up some things he'd forgotten and he invited me in for some coffee and biscuits. While I abstained from the coffee – I've had some bad experience with caffeine – I accepted the biscuits. I was questioned about school, with Matt's mom sometimes asking suggestive questions about our relationship. She must have noticed something was off. Matt's grandfather had waved her questions away, saying it was something for me and Matt to figure out. Instead he asked me when I could take up my old job at the pet shop, which I'd temporarily quit during the whole Matt-Shagon affair. Just when I'd promised him I would start next week, Matt entered.

By the look on his face it was obvious to me he had not expected me in his house. His whole body shrunk a bit as he looked away, saying he'd left his grandfather's supplies in the kitchen. A silence fell between us wherein Matt refused to look at me. During this time I'd felt awkward, annoyed and ashamed. I was only aware that the shame did not belong to me. I'd grown certain that my powers had developed towards empathy, giving me insight into the emotions of those around me. Which made my encounter with Matt only more difficult. Mr. Olsen left us, taking his daughter-in-law with him to the kitchen. He spoke loudly about the animals in his shop and I grinned at the old man. He knew how to read the situation.

I looked at Matt. He was inspecting a new hole in his jeans. Great to see which one of us was taking the initiative. Even so, I remained silent. I watched him as he slowly looked up. When our eyes met, I could see a few emotions swirl behind his. Anger, discomfort and exasperation. I merely raised my eyebrows whilst smiling slightly. I was not the one who started this circus.

"So….. Is there something you want?"

For you to man up, I thought bitterly. To stop acting like a child. I pushed those thoughts away. They wouldn't help me get my point across with Matt. I took a deep breath and flexed my hands.

"I noticed you've been rather short with me lately," I said.

"Really?"

Irritation bubbled within me. He shouldn't act like this was news to him. I closed my eyes temporarily and breathed deeply again. He was not going to get the better of me.

"Really," I said.

Matt looked at me. Was he expecting me to continue? Did I really have to ask him why he was being a child? Another deep breath left me.

"And I was wondering why? Are you still hurt that I didn't tell you about my training with Caleb?"

I could see his eye twitch. Annoyance flamed up within me, as well as injured pride. At least I was certain that wasn't mine. Instead of letting those emotions get the upper hand of me – which would probably result in me yelling at him – I took my fourth deep breath in a short while. I tried to calm myself, accepting that those emotions were there and that they did not belong to me. The feeling ebbed away slowly, while I kept my eye contact with Matt. Now it was his time to take a deep breath. He finally moved from his spot next to the door and sat across from me. His face was knitted in a look of frustration. His hands fidgeted with the hole in his pants. When he finally looked at me, his frown deepened.

"I'm not just hurt Will," he said. "I feel betrayed. I thought we could tell each other anything? Yet you kept that a secret from me."

"Like you kept that contract with Kandrakar a secret from me?"

I shouldn't have said that, but I refused to be made out a hypocrite. Now I know that Matt had his reasons for keeping it a secret as much as I had about my training. However that logic kicked in only a second too late as I saw Matt's face redden. A new bubble of anger welled up and it took all my willpower to not react when he got up. He glared down at me.

"You know that is different. The contract had nothing to do with you. It was a decision meant for Earth's Regents. That was about the safety of the planet."

"And I trained for my own safety. Before I knew you as I do now," I said.

"You can't compare your safety with that of an entire planet!"

It hurt. Those words actually did hurt. For a moment it felt as he was placing Earth…No his powers above me. I looked at him. My eyes pricked but I refused to let a tear out. I would not break now. Instead I swallowed and looked away. My hands were balled upon my knees and I felt my nails dig into my palms. I didn't need this right now. I needed him to be supportive. But how would he react if he knew that I was keeping yet another secret from him? Would he end it? I couldn't risk his safety to keep this relationship. How much I wanted to. No, I just had to make sure he would not learn of it. Instead I nodded slowly, my hair hiding my face.

"Y…You're right," I said.

My voice quivered a bit. He was right. A planet full of people was more important than one life. I just wished he hadn't said it. I looked up and saw him looking surprised. He even became unsure when he looked me in the eye. He'd probably seen the beginnings of the tears.

"Let me make it up to you," I said. "Raythor and Julian wanted to help me learn a style in hand-to-hand fighting. Why don't you join our training again? They might help you with a style as well. And then we'll practice together?"

To be honest, a part of me wanted that training to punch him hard. Just so he felt the pain his words had inflicted to me. But a larger part wanted to make up. I didn't need more strife in my life. If anything, I could use a set of arms in which I could leave my worries behind. A listening ear for my problems, otherworldly or not. And he wouldn't be that if we continued this meaningless quarrel.

He placed his hand on my knee, his face already closer to mine than it had been in weeks. He wore a small smile and his thumb brushed my cheek. I swallowed again and tried a smile in return. I only felt my lips quiver, but it seemed sufficient for him. He pulled me into a hug. Honestly, I didn't feel like hugging right now. I wanted to pound his chest and tell him he was being absolutely unreasonable. One moment he was distant and now he was hugging. But I let it go. Being angry with him now would only plunge us back into the fight we came from.

"I'm sorry. I just…. Disliked the idea of you not needing me," he said.

The worst thing was, I didn't need him. Not in battle. I could handle fine on my own or with the girls. I just needed him for the 'boring' usual boyfriend stuff. I finally returned the hug.

"I don't think there's ever a time when I won't need you," I said.

Our hug was cut short when Mrs. Olsen walked in with a new plate of biscuits. Matt and I blushed furiously while Mrs. Olsen cooed about how cute we were. The day went on like Matt and I had never argued and so had the rest of our days.

Matt had joined us for training again, though at first he only focussed on his hand-to-hand training. He'd been lazy when it came to practising and so, Julian made him train extra hard to make up for lost time. But after a week – in which Matt went to Meridian every day – Matt could join me for our first basics in a Metamoorian martial style. Julian and Raythor, while neither true experts, were well versed in multiple fighting styles of Meridian. They both knew the standard Meridian style, as well as some styles from North and South Meridian. Julian was also acquainted with styles from a few other countries, such as Galthos and Threbe. Raythor was more acquainted with the styles from the country of Felin and the nomadic tribes. It took both me and Matt a while before we found a style that fitted our way of moving. Julian decided to take Matt under his wing, teaching him the Giant style from Galthos, while I got Raythor as my teacher. Ironically the style he would teach me was called 'The Guardian', which he'd picked up in Felin. Irma had been terribly amused, stating it was only obvious as it was literally named after my profession. And how blind I'd been not to notice it before. Her amusement dropped when Caleb announced that he would teach the girls the basics in hand-to-hand fighting.

As for the rest of our training. All I could say is that it went well. Irma's mind control had no longer any effect on us. Hay Lin had managed to keep a poker face for over an hour since last week. Cornelia had practiced on the ill and wounded in Meridian to further her healing. During our last training, Taranee had managed to create Greek Fire, though it had only been there for a minute. It had drained her considerably, but she'd managed. Irma hadn't been far behind, as she'd managed to form ice seconds after the Greek Fire had been blazing. The ice making too had quite a draining effect on her. I'd learned I could share my energy with the others. It had happened accidentally while I'd been praising Taranee and Irma for their efforts. I nearly drained myself at that point when I'd touched their shoulders. I was glad I realized my mistake and was quick to release them, or I would have probably fainted on the spot. That was something I could practice next session. In addition to that rather shocking surprise, I also increased my control over golems. I could now control two golems of an element without Taranee or Cornelia pulling them away from me. I also managed to make a compromise with the water and air element. While I still could not create a pure water or air golem, I could create a mix. The idea came to me when I was skimming the dictionary for a synonym for my homework. The word 'fogdog' was written down and it had inspired me to try just that. So with the help of Irma and Hay Lin, I indeed managed to create an actual fogdog golem. An elemental golem, consisting out of air and water. Both Hay Lin and Irma had been elated by the golem and I'd learned it was even more difficult to control than a pure elemental, as now two Guardians could pull my control over it away from me. It also had a habit of ignoring my commands every once in a while. The sad thing was that it didn't survive for long. It ran around for about ten minutes before it dissolved into mist. I figured it was because I was not powerful enough to control two elements. It was certainly something I would train on in the future.

And so our weeks had passed. School work had been rather normal. Sylla had praised me one or two times during our lessons and my grades in history weren't too bad. It really helped having Collins over at dinner. The school had announced an exchange program for the second and third years as well. At first I was rather interested, but when I learned that we had to make a test and that only the top twenty could go, my interest dwindled. I was not fooling myself. There was no way I would make the cut-off. Irma too had given up hope when she'd heard the news. Cornelia, Hay Lin and Taranee's enthusiasm lowered considerably when they realized we couldn't come along. It was the first time I'd heard Taranee wilfully offer to botch a test. I dissuaded her. Taranee was a brilliant girl and I would hate myself if it was because of me that she did not have the chance to go to Redstone Academy.

Redstone Academy was a prestigious school on the other side of the country. It was close to the beach, but unlike Heatherfield, the winters were warm. Going there would be a great experience and so, despite feeling a little uneasy, we still took the test.

The test was last week and as our school day ended, the results were still unclear. It didn't matter much to me, as I was quite sure I wouldn't make it. But Cornelia and Taranee were both slightly growing more and more restless. I was glad our weekly trip to Meridian was scheduled right after school. We trained twice a week, once on Earth at an abandoned construction site deep in downtown Heatherfield and once in Meridian. And with our trip to Meridian, Cornelia would have Caleb to distract her even more.

When we arrived, we first worked on our elemental control. The training didn't take long, as Caleb insisted that the girls would practice their hand-to-hand combat. Raythor was on a mission and Julian was busy with Matt. Which gave me some time alone. I'd first watched the girls practice, but quickly became bored. I preferred to act instead of watch and so, I left them at it. I'd wandered into the palace, unsure what to look for, when I stumbled upon the library.

I'd forgotten the size of it. The last time I'd been here, Caleb and I were on a rescue mission to get the girls back. I fondly remember pushing a bookcase on top of Phobos. A small smile graced my lips as I let my fingers trace one of the bookcases. Phobos had glamoured the girls and Matt as bookcases when we'd tried to capture Nerissa. I frowned as I thought back to that moment. I never understood why I had to pose as the old woman. Surely he had better options. My frown deepened as my thoughts lingered on the wayward Prince. If anything, he'd acted peculiar in those days he'd been with us. And his actions…I still couldn't make much out of them.

I shook my head. I had better things to do than to ponder about an arrogant man. I decided to skim the books on the shelves. Most of them had blank covers, though richly decorated. A few had words on them. Some were in a language I couldn't make sense off, as certain symbols weren't even in our alphabet. And then there were those that were in plain English. I reached for one that read 'Magick Beginnings'. The cover was a deep crimson with letters of gold. The volume was heavier than I'd expected and a soft huff left me as I caught it. I opened it at a random page. The page was illustrated, much like Taranee's little notebook, though it had better drawings. This page spoke of Summoning, a simple spell that should it be used correctly, could summon anything to the spell caster. I frowned as I read the page. These were clearly instructions as to how to use the spell. I browsed further through the book, my gaze lingering for a few seconds every time my eyes caught something of interest. Maybe I should ask Elyon if we could borrow the book. While it was not elemental, I was quite sure we could learn these spells as well. After all, teletransporting and glamouring weren't elemental magic either, yet we could use it.

As I was reading, I became faintly aware of something approaching me. It wasn't that my eyes caught something from their corners. It wasn't my nose telling me a Blunk was arriving. It was a feeling. One similar to when I was near the girls. Even so I startled when that someone cleared their throat loudly behind me. The book nearly slipped past my fingers. I grabbed it clumsily before turning to Elyon. Elyon had her arms crossed and looked from me to the book. I let out a sigh.

"Elyon! Sheesh, you don't have to scare me," I said.

A small smile fluttered in the corner of the young Queen's lips. It was pushed down quickly.

"What are you doing here?"

I shrugged sheepishly. "Reading?"

It was obviously not the answer she was looking for. Elyon placed her hands on her hips and I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Why was I being subjected to a display of power? Was she being watched by that Lyonak?

"I thought you would be training. For that mission you have?"

My eyes widened slightly, before they turned into a glare. I reopened the book nonchalantly and turned my gaze back to it.

"That mission is currently on hold," I said.

She didn't take my dismissive tone as something to be heeded. Instead the book closed violently in front of my face and flew to her hand. It caused me to look at Elyon, who was trying to keep her stern look. There was concern bubbling beneath it though. I could feel it in my own stomach.

"Caleb told me of what happened when you departed so suddenly."

I rolled my eyes. Caleb knew nothing. I was impressed that he kept it this long from his Queen though. Maybe he had more brain than he dared to let on.

"Then you know it is not something Meridian should be concerned about," I said.

I tried to walk past Elyon. Perhaps returning to the training grounds would be a good idea. Elyon didn't allow me to. She took a step to block my way and I gazed down a little, looking her in the eyes.

"I think I am allowed to decide if Meridian should be concerned with this. Besides, you are using my best men to train for this mission. I think I am entitled to that information."

I nearly laughed. Elyon wasn't more entitled to know about it than Caleb. I suppose being a queen would make one bolder in making requests. She at least dared to demand. It was a shame that she had to make the same snooty face she did back in Sheffield when she wished to hear the latest gossips. It really took away any entitlement she could have had.

"If you think so, pick it up with Kandrakar," I said. "If you don't wish to have us here, we'll understand."

It was a very low blow of me. Elyon's eyes widened in surprise. Her head jerked slightly sideways, as if trying to tell me no. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath.

"No…No, just…Promise you guys will be careful. It's hard enough to make friends when you're a queen. I can't lose the ones I have," she said.

I smiled sadly at her. She'd lamented many times about the work she had to do as a queen and about how people treated her. There was no denying there was something invigorating when people bowed to you and did your bidding. But what was life without some strife? Or someone to tell you to get off your high horse? I placed my hand on Elyon's shoulder.

"I promise," I said. "Don't worry. We've gone through a civil war. What could be worse?"

As if on cue, the Heart of Kandrakar began to light up. I closed my eyes temporarily, wondering if Kandrakar had deliberately waited for this moment to call upon us. I opened my eyes again and looked at Elyon. A spark of concern was visible in her pale grey eyes.

"Speaking of the devil. If you'll excuse me, I need to get the girls."

With that I teletransported away. While I could have run or walked to the training grounds, I thought it to be better to use the magical way. I had two reasons to do so. The first was that my teletransporting wasn't perfect. Every bit of practice helped me greatly. The second was that I doubted that Kandrakar wished to wait.

My appearance caused a slight surprise, though this quickly turned to dread when the girls noticed the buzzing Heart. Without a word of explanation I transformed us and opened the fold. One by one did the girls enter, with Cornelia being the last as to have a prolonged goodbye with Caleb. I took that same time to inform Matt that Kandrakar had called and to give him a kiss goodbye. I nodded at Caleb when Cornelia finally stepped through the fold and I followed, closing it behind me.

As we arrived in the Folding Chambers, we were greeted by Halinor. However, the way she looked when she greeted us meant nothing good. I'd never seen her look so glum. I daren't ask why she greeted us in such fashion, yet I had a gut feeling as to why. I pursed my lips and nodded. Halinor only nodded in return as she turned around to lead us to the Congregation Hall.

As we followed her, I shared a glance with the girls. None of them had spoken yet. They too realised what the verdict had been and what they were going to ask of us. I was telepathically bombarded with questions and pleads. None of them were ready for a new war. The last one had been guerrilla tactics with only two large battles, in which we avoided as many deaths as possible on both sides. I doubted we could use the same tactics this time. I assured them I'd think of something as the large doors opened on their own. I faintly heard Halinor announce us as I tried to telepathically shut the girls out. While I usually felt safe using telepathy, I felt uneasy using it here. We had a very limited view on the Oracle's powers, but the way he'd spoken to us made me believe he was capable of reading minds. I'd rather not anger him with entering the room with only thoughts of how to defy him.

The Council stared at us. The same cold atmosphere greeted us like it usually did. The Oracle nodded at us, his smile no longer on his visage. He looked sombre, as if he too did not like the outcome of their discussion.

"Guardians, I assume you know why we've called upon you?"

I nodded and took a step forward. A minor headache was forming at the side of my head as I felt the attempts of creating a telepathic connection hammer my mind. I stiffened my shoulders and balled my hands, only shortly glancing at the others. They all looked pleadingly at me. I frowned at them, having no time to silence them otherwise.

"You've come to a decision as to what will happen with Ari and Arkhanta," I said.

The grim ambience told me I was right. I steadied myself for the dreadful words the Oracle would say now.

"Kandrakar has decreed that Ari of Arkhanta will get one final warning. You will go to Arkhanta and relieve his son of his suffering."

It was as if a bomb had dropped. My innards turned to ice as the meaning of those words were slowly making its way through my mind. I blinked almost owlishly at the Oracle, hearing sharp intakes of breath behind me. He…He wanted us to… No. I had to find another way. This was in no way a warning. This was…

"That's an act of war!"

I closed my eyes. Taranee had spoken up again. The air around her had grown hotter. Fire was reflected in her glasses as she took a step forward. Irma, Cornelia and Hay Lin were close behind her. Their faces too showed their discord. The Oracle took his gaze off me and pointed it at my fellow Guardians. His steely stare made it apparent this was not up for debate. A fire of murmurs had once again started amongst the Council.

"Kandrakar has decided that Ari is unaware of the dangers he is leading his subjects to and thus shall be reminded off," the Oracle said.

And so they decided to take the only thing that Ari still had left. Ari would surely attack Kandrakar, possibly with more fervour than he would now. He would be a man without a cause. He would become truly dangerous.

I pained my brain. Surely there had to be another way. We couldn't kill the boy. I refused to turn the girls into killers, just because we were ordered to. To relieve Maqi of his suffering. I wasn't sure if he was suffering of whatever the curse did to him, but…

I raised my head. I was quite sure defiance shone from my eyes. I forced my lips to a thin line and looked grimly at the Oracle. Irma was about to say something in reply to the Oracle's explanation, but I cut her off.

"You wish us to end his suffering?" I said.

The Oracle took his eyes off Irma, who'd stammered to a halt when I spoke up. The Council grew silent, as if eager to hear what I had to say. I looked right into the steel grey eyes of the Oracle. I was almost sure he was probing my brain. I shielded myself as well as I could, balling my hands in the process. I did not break eye contact.

"Yes," he said.

"Are we allowed to use any means we deem necessary?"

I could see him discreetly raise an eyebrow. His eyes flitted over my face. I was fully aware he was trying to figure out my thoughts. I was also sure he noticed the massive block I was mounting in defence. I wondered if he would halt us now, or if he would let his curiosity take the better of him. I could see a very faint smile form on his lips.

"Yes," he said.

I bowed my head, trying as best as I could not to smile myself. We still had a chance.

"Consider it done. We'll leave immediately."

A chorus of four voices called out my name as I spoke. I threw my darkest glare at the girls, hoping I could convey that they should at least keep their mouths shut until we were gone. The reaction was immediate. Cornelia and Irma glared in return. I seemed to anger them just by my action. Hay Lin recoiled, unused to my seemingly sudden change in character. Taranee gave me a very thoughtful look, as if she was already trying to figure out where I was going. Confusion quickly followed and as she looked puzzled at me, I raised my hand.

"We've got our orders. Let's move," I said.

Irma and Cornelia were very close to exploding again, right in front of the Council. I did not want to cause yet another scene in these Halls and acted quickly. With a wave of my hand, I opened a fold behind them. Without a word I pulled both of them along. I didn't look back and with my strength, I had no trouble pulling two very reluctant Guardians along. We arrived at the same spot the Banshee had tried to drown us. I threw them forward, making the two stumble while Taranee and Hay Lin followed us. The fold closed behind them and I was left to face two angry Guardians.

Irma was the first to recover and to close the distance between us. She grabbed me by the scruff of my shirt and breathed heavily into my face. I had to refrain from wrinkling my nose in disgust. I could still smell her lunch mixed with the scent of sea. A pair of aquamarine blue eyes glared at me. She pulled me closer again, shaking me slightly.

"What. The. Hell. Is wrong with you?" Irma said.

"Have you lost your mind?" Cornelia said.

I briefly glanced aside, seeing that Cornelia had made her way to stand next to Irma. I frowned at the two of them.

"Mind telling me why you think that?" I said.

Irma shook me again.

"You've heard what they told us! You can't possibly think we could….That we would…" Irma said.

"Of course I do," I said.

Perhaps it was my confident way of speaking, but I caught Irma off guard. Her grip lessened and I pulled myself free. Cornelia stared at me like I was a complete different person. Irma looked as if I'd slapped her. Before either could recover, I explained myself.

"The Oracle told us to end Maqi's suffering. Which is what we'll do. He told us to use any means necessary. Which is exactly what we'll do to get rid of the curse that's controlling Maqi. With the curse gone, I'm sure his suffering will end as well."

There was another silence. The birds in the treetops whistled their strange songs while I had four pairs of stunned eyes look at me. Slowly I saw Taranee's lips curl up into an impressed smile. Hay Lin, who'd looked pale before, started to get some colour back to her cheeks as she too started to grin. That left Irma and Cornelia. Both had started to blush. Cornelia formed a shadow of a grin, whilst Irma stared at me with a smile that would fit in a toothpaste commercial.

"You're smarter than your grades suggest," Irma said.

I snorted. Leave it to Irma to find a way to insult you while praising you.

"Won't that cause us trouble in Kandrakar? You know what they meant."

I looked at Cornelia. I had calmed her down considerably, but worry still swam in her eyes. I shrugged in response.

"We're doing what they told us. If they wanted us to do _that_ , they should have said so," I said.

I figured that if they were too hypocrite to use the word kill, I could find a way to twist their commands. I looked at my four friends. Relief had settled in and they were grinning. It was almost as if we'd already managed to pull it off. Irma apologized, but I waved it off. I'd rather have her yell at me than follow me blindly. What now would be our greatest challenge was how we could get to Maqi without Ari inciting another attack on us. The second problem was how we could break the curse.

The first challenge was easily solved. Hay Lin would scout the palace invisible while we waited outside. After establishing the location of both Maqi and Ari, Hay Lin would return. We'd stage a diversion and enter the palace under the cover of Hay Lin's invisibility.

But breaking the curse. That was troublesome. We had no experience in breaking curses. Cornelia could heal, but the question was if it would work on a curse. The worst part was that we had no choice but to try. If Cornelia didn't manage, we had to think of something on the spot. Hopefully it would work out for us anyway.

Once we settled on our approach, we went towards the palace. Cornelia lead the way through the jungle for two reasons. The first was that she could lead us through her green speak ability. The second was so she would not continue to pester me about how flimsy our plan was. I never thought Kandrakar would choose for warmongering and thus I never considered thinking of a plan in case they did. This was the best I could think of in a short period of time. All that was left was hope and pray to whomever would listen to us that this would work.

At least our arrival at the palace went unnoticed. It took us an hour to get there, but that had been the easy part. The moment we arrived, my heart skipped a beat. A large platoon was standing outside the gates. Men ranging in age stood armed in front of the palace gates. They wore armour and stood rigid. I took a sharp intake of breath. This couldn't be an army, could it? My suspicions were confirmed when I heard someone call for attention. The whole platoon moved to do as they were told and here it was that I felt even worse. I know what a well-trained army should look like. Meridian had a decent one at the very least. They moved as one and reacted immediately to orders. This was not what I looked at. The men of this makeshift army moved clumsily. Several bumped into one another with their weapons. They were not in sync and some only reacted because they saw their neighbour move. This was a disaster.

I glanced at the others. Hay Lin and Irma were trying to repress a grin. Cornelia was looking at the army as if she was silently asking if she was looking at a joke. Taranee looked at me and I could read the same horror on her face.

"This will be easy," Irma said.

"This is a disaster," Taranee said.

"Why? Look at them. They are hardly trained. I bet a bunch of wayward Lurdens could take them on and win," Irma said.

Taranee shook her head. "That's exactly why it's a disaster. You do know what happens if Ari were to send those people to Kandrakar? And you know we _have_ to fight for Kandrakar. The fight would be terrible."

Irma paled slightly as the realization came to her as well. Hay Lin shuddered ever so slightly. Cornelia still remained dubious.

"You can't tell me that you truly believe Ari would send them right now to Kandrakar?" she said.

Taranee shrugged, but I chimed in. "If we do what Kandrakar really wants, you can bet that will happen. And I don't want to bet on his temper either."

I got grim nods in return. Great to know there was more at stake than we first thought. I nudged Hay Lin, nodding at the doors. Hay Lin nodded and disappeared from sight. Even though she was no longer visible, I still felt like I had an inkling of an idea where she could be. I turned my gaze to the palace doors when I was certain she had entered them. Now all we could do was wait.

We watched the training of Ari's soldiers in silence. It was painful to see them bear swords and pitchforks. I was beginning to think that these people never had to fight at all. Or perhaps had forgotten how to do it. I wished we could get some more information about it, but approaching anyone here now would endanger our mission.

Hay Lin stayed out for quite a while. Irma was starting to get restless. I didn't show it, but I too was getting concerned. We hadn't had any contact with Hay Lin yet. Had something gone wrong? Or had I misjudged the Banshee and was she now interrupting our telepathy?

" _Guys, found them. Ari is with Maqi in the throne room."_

I let out a sigh in relief. My shoulders relaxed and I only realized now that I'd been pulling them up. I rolled them a bit while Irma complained.

" _What took you so long?"_

" _Aw, were you getting worried?"_

I rolled my eyes. Before Irma would take the bait to Hay Lin's playful jest, I interjected.

" _Hay."_

" _What? The palace is a lot bigger than you think! I first checked where I thought were the bedrooms. I avoided the throne room in case there was a big meeting or something."_

It made sense. I rolled my eyes at Cornelia, who grinningly made the comment that Hay Lin was invisible. Hay Lin's bashful response came back but got interrupted. She didn't react to our calls and remained silent. Suddenly the four of us stiffened, frantically trying to regain contact.

" _The Banshee knows I'm here!"_

I paled. I'd hoped she would stay out of this. Was she trying to pit Ari against us? Of course she would. That way she still had a chance to get her revenge. I cursed softly. I should have known.

" _Ari isn't listening, but she keeps hinting at my presence. What should I do?"_

" _Return, now!"_

My command was sent out within seconds of her question. I turned to the others.

"We need a diversion, pronto. Any ideas?"

It was as if I'd slapped them. They looked owlishly at me and I breathed loudly. I looked around feverishly. I should have thought of a diversion before sending Hay Lin away. We needed something that could keep the army away, but would be powerful enough to also coerce Ari out. I chewed my lip while Hay Lin's panicked thoughts ran through my head. We couldn't do the diversion. It would end the moment we turned invisible and Ari would easily put two and two together.

"Will. Golems."

I looked at Taranee, who whispered it slightly excited. I nodded. Those should work just fine. Taranee already had a large fireball in her hands. Within seconds a fire dragon of five feet was flying around us. It went to get some attention from Taranee before turning to me for orders.

" _Attack the army. Lead them away from the palace. But don't harm them too much. No one may die."_

" _No one?"_

I frowned, slightly concerned at the destructive nature of the golem. I shook my head and glared sternly.

" _No one."_

It nodded, but somehow I felt a spark of disappointment as it flew off. We watched how it flew high up in the skies before hurtling itself into the middle of the camp. The people all screamed in surprise and ducked out of the way. The dragon reformed and snapped at those closest to it. The effect it had was not something I'd counted on. Somehow I still expected that the soldiers would try to attack it and keep it away from the palace. They did the opposite. They scuttled away from it, afraid. I felt the euphoria of the golem as it gleefully flew close to a group that screamed in pure terror.

" _Give them a chance."_

There was a notable growl in response to my command, but it obeyed. I watched as it became slightly more timid, feigning fear for the weapons. This seemed to inspire a bit of courage into the men as they started to mount a counterattack.

I turned away from the fight. I knew Hay Lin was nigh, almost out of the palace gates. Now we needed a back-up in case the army and Ari would realize this was a diversion.

"Cornelia, can you build me a golem model? A tough one, if you please."

It took Cornelia a moment to react. I read something akin to awe in her expression as she watched the fire golem do its job. She snapped out of it before I had to repeat my question. Her hands glowed a light green and slowly but surely a buff humanoid statue formed itself out of the earth. The golem easily took to a height of seven and a half feet. For good measure she gave him a small crevice for a mouth and two black stones for eyes. I raised an eyebrow, but was only answered with a snooty flip of hair. I rolled my eyes in return. The earth golem came to life just when Hay Lin reappeared before us.

"Guys! Did you see the ruckus? Was that your fire golem? Isn't he hurting people?"

I turned briefly to Hay Lin, to find her paler than when she left. She looked at Taranee, who had an unmistakeable grin on her face. She also didn't seem to be paying full attention to what Hay Lin had been saying.

"Huh? What? No, it's not harming them enough to be serious, don't worry," she said.

Hay Lin looked temporarily at me. I nodded before turning to the earth golem.

" _Stay here until the army has started to chase the fire golem. Follow them and prevent anyone from returning to the palace until I or Cornelia give you permission,"_

As I gave the order, another thought occurred to me. I turned my attention to the fire golem, faintly registering the earth golem's acknowledgement of the order.

" _Lead them away. But not towards a village. Keep the damage tolerable."_

Another growl of irritation came from the fire golem. Taranee's smirk diminished ever so slightly as the fire golem moved away, trying to goad the army to follow him. As if on cue, Ari appeared. He was still in his regular clothing, but as he descended the stairs, we could hear him shout another wish to the Banshee. Within a blink of an eye did Ari's attire change. Personally I thought it to be a bit too bold. He was completely armoured in plate while brandishing a ridiculous sword. It however inspired his men as they all roared when their leader charged the fire golem. The dragon noticed the true danger this time and flew deeper into the jungle, away from us and the palace. As the army followed, so did the earth golem.

We stared silently as the earth golem of seven feet lumbered away. It was very unreal to see a plan work this well, especially one that had formed within seconds. It took me a moment to realize we should get going. Snapping the girls out of their amazement was easy enough. I was met with several grins. I was glad to see they were satisfied with how well our mission was currently going. I looked around one more time, ensuring that the army had truly left.

"Hay Lin?"

My question was met with a nod and a wave of Hay Lin's hands. The strangest sensation came over me. It was as if a breeze brushed my skin constantly, no matter which way I turned. I looked at my hands, finding that they had indeed disappeared. The rest of my body had followed suit and for the first time ever I realized how used I'd been to seeing my body. And how awkward I felt not seeing it.

"While this is seriously cool, how are we going to get into the palace without bumping into each other? Or losing each other?"

I turned to where Irma's voice had come from. She made a fair point. This made the plan a little inconvenient.

"We hold hands?" Hay Lin said.

I heard Cornelia groan and I was sure that if I could see her, she would roll her eyes. I merely shrugged. It was an idea and I certainly didn't have a better one.

"Let's do it. Hay Lin, can you dispel the invisibility? I rather not poke someone's eye out," I said.

With several snickers, the magic dispelled and we could see each other again. Without much ado, we linked hands. Cornelia's hand in mine, Taranee's in Cornelia's and Irma's and Irma held on to Hay Lin. The moment we linked hands, Hay Lin reapplied the invisibility.

When the first time had been strange, the second time was even stranger. Especially now that I was holding onto someone else. A shiver ran down my spine. Cornelia's fingers closed a little tighter around mine, as if to convey some sort of comfort. I returned the gesture.

"Hay Lin, lead the way," I said.

Slowly but surely I felt myself being pulled along as Hay Lin lead us into the palace. It was eerily quiet and once again I noticed the disturbing lack of guards. Maybe because I had gotten used to Elyon's palace and the numerous guards it held, but this just felt unnatural. Almost as if we were walking into a trap. Worst thing of all, I wouldn't be surprised if it were a trap.

We passed several hallways leading deeper into the palace. Suits of armour guarded each of those passages. Even though they were lifeless, I felt as if they were watching us. My nervousness kept me extremely alert. In such ways that I jumped every time that a sound caught my ears. Because every sound I heard, made me think of the Banshee. She knew Hay Lin had been in the palace. She would most certainly know we had entered the palace now. Would she alarm Ari now? Or would she wait and see? It made me nervous to think that the Banshee could play us easily. I just hoped we could go ahead with our plan. If not…Well, I hated to think what we would have to do if we failed.

Within a few minutes we arrived at the throne room. If I compared the palace to Elyon's, I'd say it lay further to the back. It was better decorated though. Long drapes of rich red decorated the walls. Large windows gave the large room enough light and the natural light softened the ochre yellow of the floor. One throne stood tall at the end of the room, but my attention was caught by a lone boy laying on the ground. Several toys lay spread around him and he seemed to be drawing something.

" _Hay Lin, drop the invisibility,"_ I said.

" _But Will. He'll see us. He might call for help or run!"_

As Hay Lin said that, I noticed Maqi looking up. He looked straight at us and I stared into his lost eyes. He was aware of our presence, I was sure of it. He stared at us, motionlessly. I half-expected him to speak, but he returned to his drawings as if we were not interesting.

" _Did he just…?"_ Cornelia said.

" _Can he?"_ Taranee said.

" _He shouldn't be able to…"_ Hay Lin said.

With that, our invisibility dissolved. I let go off Cornelia's hand and slowly approached Maqi. I was only faintly aware of Cornelia closing the doors behind us. My mind was focussed on the young boy on the floor before me. His blond hair lay messily on his head, his eyes still unfocussed as he drew something. But there was something else that concerned me. Anyone should have at least felt afraid with the sudden appearance of a group of people. Maqi had no reaction. I felt no emotion coming from him. I realized I was already trying to touch him, my hand inches from his head.

"Will?"

Cornelia's voice made me halt my action. I turned to see the others closing in on Maqi as well. There was concern written all over their faces. As well as something akin of a question. I shook my head.

"Something is wrong with him. Cornelia, can you?"

Cornelia nodded as she took her place beside me. Her hands glowed a bright green as she slowly placed her hands on Maqi's head. The reaction was immediate. Maqi recoiled as if in pain. Tears came to his eyes, but I still felt a lack of emotion. I changed my position. I moved behind the boy and took a firm grip on him. He struggled against my grip and never before had I felt so horrible. I usually refused to use my powers to harm the weak. Holding a young boy in place didn't really require my powers, but I still felt like a bully. Especially when I felt how his useless attempts started to wane. Like he was losing the will to free himself.

I looked at Cornelia, who gave me a questioning gaze. I could see the pain reflected on her face. She didn't want to hurt him.

"And?"

Cornelia shook her head at Taranee's question. "I felt an enormous block. This might take some time. And I might need some help."

"How can we help?" Irma said.

She had sat herself next to Cornelia, looking very concerned at Maqi. There was something in her expression I found mirrored in Cornelia's. A certain worry I could not place.

Irma didn't wait for Cornelia to answer. She looked determinantal at the Earth Guardian. "I could try to just send my energy his way? I don't know if it will work, but you might be able to do something with it?"

Both Cornelia and I nodded. The only times we'd used our pure energy was when we fought Cedric the first time we met him and against Phobos before his first incarceration. While the energy had been offensive, we had theorized it could also be used defensively. And no better time to try but the present.

"Send your energy to me," I said. "I might just convert it for Cornelia."

Irma nodded at me. She closed her eyes and placed a hand on my arm. Cornelia's green glowing hands were once again directed at Maqi and I was suddenly glowing with energy. Irma's energy was seeping into me and I tried to redirect it to Cornelia's healing magic. I was shocked to learn how easy it was. It might had to do with the Heart helping us along, but I was grateful.

It was not enough. Maqi struggled more and more in my grip. Moans now flitted his lips. I was only faintly aware of Hay Lin moving closer. My mind was more focussed at the task at hand. Cornelia was struggling and Irma wasn't looking that great either. Yet I had fate in them.

"Come on," I said.

"It's strong," was Cornelia's reply.

I noticed more energy seeping into me. It took me by surprise and I looked up, seeing now Hay Lin joining Irma in an attempt to break the curse. I smiled appreciatively at her. Hay Lin merely nodded. Her face was scrounged up in concentration, her eyebrows knitted together and wrinkles appeared around the bridge of her nose. Her eyes were solely focussed on Maqi and as I watched, I saw her mutter softly.

The new boost in energy became evident as Maqi started to thrash more. Whatever Cornelia was attempting, it was becoming more and more apparent that the curse was struggling to hold its grip on the boy. Something alarming caught my attention. Somewhere, very deep within the boy I was holding, I felt something stir. Almost as if there was a different kind of power buried within him. And it was struggling to get out.

"Master, can you hear me? It's your servant calling you…."

My eyes snapped wide open. I stared in pure horror at the others. Cornelia temporarily stopped her healing attempt. Hay Lin and Irma stared at me in shock, while Taranee – who had been guarding the door – now turned around, paling with every word we heard. I didn't want to believe it. The Banshee was going to ruin this one chance we had. All for petty revenge.

"It's Yua who implores you."

A short silence followed in which we listened breathlessly.

"Your enemies are here, sire! They've invaded the citadel and are attacking little Maqi."

"That bitch!" Irma said. Her cheeks were reddening quickly and by the way she was looking, I was assuming she was planning several unpleasant things for the Banshee.

"We have to hurry!" I said, gaining the attention of everyone. "All of us need to focus our energy. Taranee, leave the door. I don't want you to fight the Banshee's magic alone and we need every ounce of magic we can get."

We set back to work. Cornelia started her healing once more. Hay Lin and Irma were focussing their energies to me, while I redirected them to Cornelia. Taranee reluctantly left the door and sat beside me. Her energy flowed into me and as I redirected it to Cornelia, I added mine for good measure. Cornelia gasped shortly as the energy I sent to her got boosted. Her eyes flickered green for a short moment. It would have concerned me if I hadn't been paying attention to Maqi's latent energy. It swirled beneath the curse and was reacting so strongly to Cornelia's attempts at healing that I felt it. For good measure, I tried to aid it by coaxing it to me. To the outside world.

"It's time to end this battle once and for all!"

I didn't have time to look up as Ari's thunderous voice boomed through the throne room. It only increased my feeling of desperation.

I faintly heard him yell something about what we were doing to his son. I imagined it didn't look good anyway. I was restraining the kid while the rest was glowing faintly, with Cornelia glowing the brightest as her hands were placed on Maqi's head. My eyes temporarily left Maqi's pained visage and flitted to Cornelia. Her eyes flickered between the icy blue she usually had and a menacing green. Sweat rolled down her brow and her eyebrows were knitted together. She wasn't even aware of Ari's presence. I didn't want to break her concentration. So instead of edging her on, I amplified the amount of energy I was giving her. This elicited a shocked gasp from the others. I would apologize later. We had to do this now. I focussed on the latent energy within Maqi. The coaxing had helped but I did not have the time to be nice. Instead I tried to take a hold of it, similar as to how I now had a hold of the energy of the girls.

The effect was immediate. Maqi yelled out and we were caught in an explosion of power. I was forcibly pushed away from the boy. Ari's cry was intermingled with Maqi's scream. As I opened my eyes again, I saw Maqi glowing with a yellow light and floating slightly above the ground. The girls were spread around him, laying on the ground and only slowly looking up. Ari only watched in muted shock as his son slowly landed on the ground, his feet touching first. Ari immediately ran forward, catching Maqi as he began to fall.

I sat up straight and watched father and son hold on to each other. Ari was silent and caressed Maqi's hair, tears rolling down his cheeks. At first glance, I was afraid we'd killed Maqi. He didn't seem to move and the way Ari was behaving, pressing his face into his son's chest, made me think we had accidentally killed him. My stomach turned at the mere thought that we had obeyed Kandrakar's ulterior motive. And by the looks of the others, I knew they were thinking along the same lines. I looked down, ashamed. We had failed.

"Daddy?"

I looked up. It had been a tired voice, but a childish one. Ari had raised his head from his son's chest and looked at him, incredulously. Maqi was still very much alive and his bright eyes seemed so focussed now. He looked at his father and the faintest of smiles formed on his lips.

"You're talking! You're smiling!" Ari said.

He took his son closer again, hugging him with a passion only a father could show. Tears rolled down his cheeks and I could feel his happiness infect me. I grinned, while wiping a tear away. We actually did it.

"Sleepy."

Ari held Maqi, who yawned loudly. Ari didn't seem to be able to stop his tears. He rubbed through his son's hair, whispering over and over the same two words he'd said out loud. He finally kissed his son's head as Maqi started to lull back to sleep. I watched silently as Ari kept Maqi close, his smile radiating.

He finally stood up. I only now realized that I'd been sitting on the floor this entire time. As I rose, the others followed my lead. Ari watched me, but his face no longer showed any hostility. Instead I found gratitude.

"I…I was wrong about you. About Kandrakar," he said.

I wanted to tell him he was not wrong about Kandrakar. But edging him on, while a war had been averted, was not my intention. I smiled in return. I was just glad this whole ordeal was over. We only had one thing left to do and then we could return. We'd probably get chewed out by Kandrakar, but at least the boy was alive.

"How can I repay you?"

A wry smile formed on my lips. The telepathic connection between us had opened up and several proposals were made for me to say, including a banquet, a shower, a chance to visit on vacation and so on. I however, had another idea.

"Free the Banshee. With her gone, you will no longer be a threat to Kandrakar. You might even apply for a contract with Kandrakar. That way, we may help you in the future."

From the looks I was receiving, it was clear a few didn't share my opinion. While we had agreed upon freeing the Banshee, I'd never mentioned the proposal of a contract. Taranee's disdainful look burnt in the side of my head, as was Cornelia's pursed lips and raised eyebrow. Irma pressed her lips tightly together and crossed her arms while Hay Lin looked uneasily. I knew why they acted this way, but it was our only chance to appease Kandrakar a little. At least they would get a new contract out of this.

"Of course, I will do it at once," Ari said.

But before he could contact the Banshee, I stepped forward. "Before you do, I would like you to make one extra wish."

Ari looked puzzled at me, a look he shared with the girls. "You want me to…?"

I nodded. "I want you to wish that every w…"

The forceful opening of the throne room doors made me halt my sentence. I instinctively raised a barrier. From my long run of being in castles, I'd learnt that a forceful opening of a door seldom meant the arrival of friends. And God was I glad I did. Something collided with the barrier and I looked how it bounced back. That which had run into my barrier appeared to be a person, who'd landed graciously a couple of feet away. It was a woman, who I would estimate to be around her early twenties. She was dressed in a white embellished robe with shorts that cut above the knee. Her wrapped top was tight roughly by a thick course of pink ribbon. Her hair was tight into a high ponytail and any wayward hairs were pulled back by a pink headband. Her eyes were slightly slanted, giving off an Asian impression, but her eyes were a catlike yellow. They were squinted in a glare as she raised the sword she'd been brandishing. A snarl formed on her lips.

 _ **[A/N] Cliffhanger! And now you all will have to wait until I finish the next chapter I'm writing (Chapter 16). But no worries, it should be done in a jiffy!**_

 _ **As always, please review! Your reviews are what keep me going! And I really want to know your thoughts etcetera.**_


	7. Chapter 7 I protect what I believe

**Chapter 7 I protect what I believe**

This was a problem. I did not know who this new intruder was, but I was quite certain she was not here to celebrate. Her feline eyes were too focussed on the sleeping boy in Ari's arms. The sword she held seemed awfully sharp.

"What is this?" Ari said. "Who are you?"

The woman made no attempt to answer. Instead she charged forward again. It was faint, but I was certain I saw the blade glow this time. I was not going to attempt to strengthen the shield. I didn't have the energy left to do so. Instead I jumped at Ari and pulled him and Maqi out of the way. My prediction was on point as the unknown woman cut through my barrier as if it had been made out of paper. Her sword embedded itself into the ground, right at the place where Ari had been standing not a few seconds ago.

She was quick to pull her sword out of the ground, but her counterattack never came. Cornelia had reacted instantly and used her telekinesis to blow the woman across the room. A definite groan escaped her lips when her back collided with the wall. I barely shot an appreciative smile at Cornelia when I already noticed the female assailant recovering. I groaned inwardly. Was there no chance we could get a breather? My eyes temporarily left the woman and I scanned our surroundings. The large gates were wide open, but no other exits seemed to present themselves. I did not want to risk any windows. I bit my lip. Fighting her would put Maqi and Ari in danger. It was obvious they were her target. They had to leave. If they could reach the Banshee they would be safe, especially if Ari could simply wish her to be gone.

"Banshee, hear m-"

An energy blast shot past me. I huffed in relief when Hay Lin jumped in and pulled Ari and Maqi out of the way. Okay, the assailant was smart enough not to give Ari the chance to speak to the Banshee. It would be best if I got them out of here. But I dared to bet she would not just let them leave.

"Take Ari and Maqi to the Banshee."

"But Will!"

Any other complaints were halted when the woman jumped us again. I silently reminded myself it was a stupid decision to say the plan out loud, but it at least got her attention. As the woman aimed for Ari, I jumped at her. Either she was too focussed on her prey or she did not perceive me as a threat, but I managed to knock her out of the air. Her sword skidded over the floor as she lost it in our scuffle. We landed away from the group. I uneasily noticed that my strength and hers were quite alike. She was no Guardian and had – as far I knew – no Quintessential powers. She was either from a race with already augmented strength or some kind of weird super soldier the comics talked about. Neither were great to have as an opponent right now.

My strength seemed to have caught her off guard and she struggled to get a grip on me.

"Go now!" I said without looking up from my opponent.

There were no footsteps. I looked up and found the girls looking defiantly at me, all with their hands raised and ready to attack. The woman was trying to grab my throat. I could barely glare at them as I tried to stay out of her grasp.

"We can't endanger them! Leave! I'll keep her busy!"

There was an obvious disdain to my words, but I couldn't be fully bothered. I'd go into discussion with them after we're done. Right now, Maqi's and Ari's safety were our prime concern. Finally I heard their footsteps hit the ground as I was launched off the woman. I rolled over the ground, watching how the girls reached the doors. The woman had made a jump for her weapon. I got up, wanting to jump after her, when Cornelia's quick thinking saved me from doing so. She used her telekinesis to pull the sword with her. The woman was close to following her when the doors shut. I heard the distinctive sound of a wall being raised from the earth and knew we were locked in. The woman breezed loudly. She glared at the door, her hands glowing with a familiar energy.

I wouldn't let her. Within seconds my hands were crackling with lightning and before she made her move, I made mine. Lightning coursed through my hand towards her. She must have picked up the crackling sound. She jumped away and dodged my attack. It made the glow of her hands die down though. I took this chance to put myself between the doors and her. This time her unnerving glare was turned to me. A silence fell between us. I was rather sure it wouldn't matter if I tried to talk to her. This lady didn't look like she was open for discussion.

She took a battle stance, just like I did. It surprised me when I learned she had taken the same position as I did. It also worried me. If she knew of this style, she could possibly know more techniques than I did. I was, after all, but a novice. This meant I had to fall back on my magic and hope she couldn't compete with that. Bile clung in my throat. My hands cramped ever so slightly. My heart thundered in my chest. But I kept my ground. I stared her down, just like she did to me.

That was when the first attack came. She was fast. Within seconds she had closed the distance between us and I could barely register the fist hurtling at my face. I recoiled, swinging my body backwards and thus avoiding the fist. Regret filled me immediately as she seemed to be prepared for my unskilful dodge. The fist opened up and grabbed the front of my top. Her leg swept against mine. It was a forceful kick and as her hand let go off me, I felt weightless for just a few seconds. That weightlessness quickly disappeared as I came into contact with the ground. My head bounced off the stone floor and through the stars I could see that her hand had closed into a fist again. It contacted with my stomach at the same time as my head hit the ground again. A groan left my lips as pain spread through my abdomen. The last time something hurt that bad, it had been Cedric's massive tail swatting me like a fly.

The woman tried to take a hold on me, but while my vision was still recuperating, I kicked my legs up. Somehow I managed to hit her. A soft groan came from my assailant and she backed off. I crawled up, placing a hand on my stomach. It was cramping and stomach acid was making its way to my mouth. I swallowed the sour substance while finally focussing my eyes on her. She had assumed the basic stance again, seemingly unperturbed by my attack. She didn't wait for me to catch my breath. Once again she came at me, but this time I was ready.

Instead of giving her the chance to attack me, I took a step forward. Her surprise was visible as she staggered to maintain the distance for her attack. She was too late as I threw out my own punch. While I usually kept a certain level of control, I did not do it now. This woman could hurt me this badly. Holding back would be my death.

My punch contacted with her arm as she blocked it. I didn't let it concern me. Instead I tried a sweep, much like she had done. She was prepared and took a steady step back. I was waiting for her to fall back and followed with a kick with the same leg as I attempted the sweep with. Her arms moved to block the incoming kick and as I tried to land it, I jumped in. I retreated my leg before it could make contact and used my fist to once again try a punch. And this time I hit my mark. I'd never hit a face before. A few of my knuckles contacted with her cheekbone but the rest just drove into her cheek. Her head was knocked sideways and she lost her footing on the floor. She got pushed away several feet. She landed in a crouched position. A hand of hers touched her cheek tenderly, while her feline eyes glared darkly at me. My heart jumped as I detected the faintest of smiles on her lips. This woman was insane.

I didn't have time to inwardly celebrate my successful attack. The woman had closed the distance again, this time with a full frontal kick. I blocked in time, but was knocked back. I kept my defence, but I quickly learned I was too slow with using the appropriate block at the right time. Raythor's instructions were ringing through my head, scolding me for even thinking during a battle. I couldn't help it. I had to remember the block to defend myself from her relentless attacks.

It started with a fist being planted into my stomach, forcing me to lurch forward. An elbow found its mark on my back before a knee was raised to crush my nose. In a dazed state I managed to stop that, only to be greeted with another fist hitting my temple. The room seemed to dance in front of me. The woman doubled. I had to stop her. She and her doubles raised another fist. I blocked by crossing my arms in front of me. But before she would even think of a better way to smash me to a pulp, I reached for my magic. Sparks coursed over my body and I released a full body shock the moment she got closer. An angry hiss left her lips as she took a few steps back.

This gave me some time to breathe. Only now did I realize how tired I really was. I'd used too much energy on helping Maqi. I had tried too many things I'd never done before. And now I was getting an ass whooping that was severely draining me of my remaining energy. I inhaled and exhaled at a rapid pace, panting as if I'd run for miles. My wounds were no longer closing. I could taste the nasty iron aroma of blood and as I wiped my mouth, I could see faint traces of blood on my sleeve and hand.

I looked up, relieved to see the doubles had disappeared and that the room had stopped spinning. The woman's hand seemed burnt. She was waving it without much thought whilst observing me. Some spark of interest seemed to be present in those odd yellow eyes. The injured hand balled into a fist again as she retook her stance. I copied her. I was not going to give up without giving my all. The girls were counting on me. I just wished they would hurry up.

We stood still. No movement other than the rising and falling of our chests was made. Our eyes were locked and we waited. At least, I waited. I did not trust myself on making another successful attack. She was definitely better than I was. My own attack had been a lucky hit. My best bet was in defence and magic. Something I would exploit the moment she decided on an attack. Which meant I had to be patient. I didn't need to get through the door. I could take my time.

That realization had seemed to dawn on the woman as well. Her fists balled a little more for just a second when another attack came my way. I held my ground and pointed my arm at her. Lightning again coursed through it and shot at her. She dodged, but it was obvious she struggled with doing so. My attack had been faster than she was and it singed the hem of her robes. Her dodge did not stop her attack. I charged a new attack with my other hand, but this time she was fast enough. Before I could release it, she kicked my arm upwards. This resulted in my attack colliding with the ceiling. Several pebbles fell down from it, but that was the least of my concern. The moment my attack had been discharged, the woman grabbed for my arm. What followed was the most unnatural thing I'd ever felt.

I watched, unable to counter, how the woman took my arm into a hold and broke it. Her hand pushed into my elbow. I felt the strain of it bending unnaturally before a definite crack echoed through the halls. A cry of pain, my cry of pain followed that awful sound. I could feel blood trickle down my arm, but that feeling was quickly numbed by the indescribable pain from my broken limb. She let go off it. Gravity took control over it, making it take its place next to my body. I couldn't look at it, afraid it would be the final straw for me to hurl. Tears blinded my eyes and I staggered backwards. I didn't get very far, as her hand found its way around my neck.

An immediate call for oxygen came as she pressed gently against my throat. Through my blurred vision I could see her look at me with certain disappointment.

"It didn't have to come to this," she said.

I struggled for air. My other hand grasped her arm, but I lacked the power to free myself. My broken arm was taking any energy I had left and the slowly increasing pressure on my throat was making it hard for me to do anything else but hyperventilate. Panicked thoughts coursed through my head. I couldn't die now. I had still a life to live. My friends would need me. They would hate me if I died here. Matt… He would never forgive me. And the mission. We still had to clear it completely. We had to ensure Maqi's safety. _I_ had to ensure his and the girls' safety. I could not do that if I died. I just needed the energy to break free. To heal.

As those last thoughts ran through my mind, my vision had already blurred into darkness. Fear clawed at my chest. I could not die now. I wouldn't. I would find a way to restore some of my powers. As if in reply to my desperate thoughts, I saw a light. I was sure this wasn't the all known 'light at the end of the tunnel'. Don't ask me how I knew, I just did. It felt different. I reached out for it. I was no longer aware if I did so mentally or physically. I just had to get in touch with that light. The moment I did, I heard a gasp. I couldn't discern whether it was mine or hers. I didn't care. I felt the energy the light held and I pulled at it with all my might.

Within a second I could breathe again. My vision cleared. The last I could make out from the light was how a small part left with me. I took grateful gasps of air whilst looking at my opponent. She was clutching her chest. One of her arms had bloody scratch marks on them. She stared at me as if I'd done something horrible to her. I only tried to catch my breath. As I did, I noticed how the pain in my broken arm had numbed. I dared to take a look. That look turned into disbelieve as I watched my bloodied arm react normally, as if it had never been broken. It was stiff and ached when I moved it, but there was no bone protruding from my skin. It wasn't bend in an awkward way. It looked normal. Only the rip in my sleeve gave any indication something had protruded.

I took a new breath, before retaking my basic position. I only faintly noticed how the stance felt more natural to me than before. I made sure to not strain my newly healed arm in any way. I only thanked whatever god that wanted to listen that our Guardian powers came with a rapid healing factor in times of need. I then proceeded to attack.

I knew I thought before that an attack would have been the worst decision I could make. It was just strange. After my miraculous recovery and escape, an attack felt like the most natural and logical thing to do. I even did it without thinking about my options.

I went with a frontal kick. She jumped backward, having gathered herself in time to do so. I did not let that deter me. I placed my foot back on the ground and used the momentum for a round house kick. It was a kick I'd only seen Raythor demonstrate, but as I did it, it felt as if I'd practiced it for many years. My kick connected with her chest and another groan flitted her lips. The woman stumbled back, but when I continued with a punch, she was ready. She blocked my punch and countered with her own series of attacks.

Only this time it went differently. I blocked or dodged her attacks, almost as if I knew what kind of combination she was trying. A deep frown had formed on my opponent's face, indicating her concentration. I don't believe I'd seen that look during the first half of our fight. I didn't have long to think about it. Her attack combination became more intricate and powerful. Dodging became nearly impossible for me and my arms were aching from my blocks. My recently recovered arm was throbbing terribly. It took my mind multiple times off the battle, resulting in me taking several hits.

We distanced from each other again. My breathing was heavy. My opponent was breathing with more difficulty as well, but I was almost sure she could continue this fight longer than I could. My legs were trembling. I was sure I could not take another step without losing the strength to keep me up. I just stared at her. From the back of my mind I thought I heard something. I shook my head to focus. I then saw the woman glance upward. I didn't dare to do the same. I saw her nod and a cat-like smile appeared on her face.

"You fight better than expected. What is it you fight for?"

I kept my face straight, not showing the surprise I felt. This was perhaps the largest amount of words she'd used since she got here.

"What I believe."

She inclined her head at my reply. She made it look like she accepted my explanation. I wondered if she could hear my fatigue in my voice. If so, she did not seem to want to exploit it.

"It's a custom of my planet to exchange names when having fought a formidable opponent. While I would not say you were such an adversary, I would at least concede that you surprised me and gave me an…interesting fight."

I nodded. I wasn't going to react to the barb. She was right. I probably only survived due to luck.

"Will," I said. "Will Vandom."

The woman blinked at me. Slowly she started to nod, as if only realising what I had said.

"It has been an honour to fight you, Will Vandom. May we meet again on the battlefield."

A fold appeared behind her. However, before she could step through it, my burning curiosity made me call out for her.

"Wait! You never said your name."

The woman halted for a moment. The grin was still on her face.  
"My name is Orube."

With that she left through the fold. The fold closed and as it did, I felt my knees buckle. I gave in and hit the ground painfully. I didn't care. I was finally sitting down. I could finally take a breath.

" _Will? Are you okay?"_

Taranee's voice rang through my head and I let out a relieved chuckle.

" _What took you so long?"_ I said.

" _We ran into trouble along the way. Are you still fighting?"_

I shook my head. _"No. She just left."_

A short silence fell in which I took my time to calm my pulse. I would take a really long nap after all of this.

" _Ari wants to know what wish he still has to make."_

I had forgotten about that. My insides turned to ice as I thought of the repercussions that would probably follow. I just didn't have a choice. Ari and Maqi should not suffer. I'd decided this course when I'd talked to the Banshee. No sense in stopping now.

" _Make sure he wishes that none of his wishes can be undone."_

There was no reply from Taranee. I closed my eyes, my heart still pumping in my ears. Everything seemed peaceful for a while. I could almost imagine my bed back in Heatherfield. Unconsciousness was close to taking me when an unearthly scream echoed through the palace and the walled off door. Tremors shook the ground. And I couldn't act upon it. All my tired body could was wait. A horrible crash announced my fear. The doors blasted apart and through it, I could see Cornelia's wall crumbling. In the opening, I saw the Banshee. Her eyes were wide in pure anger, her face twisted into an ugly snarl. Her long, talon like hands flexed at the sight of me.

The next moment I felt a piercing pain in my abdomen and finally lost consciousness.

When I came to, everything was aching. My stomach was burning, my head felt heavy and all of my limbs were protesting in pain. As my vision started to clear, I could see my arms and legs bound by a robe that eerily resembled the ones that held the Banshee captive. I also realised I was standing in muddied water which came up till my ankles. As I jerked my head to get a better view of my surroundings, I caught movement all around me.

Creatures melted out of swamp-like trees. All with green skin, motley freckles and pale green hair. The creatures were distinctly female, clad in similar yellowish robes which clung loosely to their frame. And all wearing a scowl so dark, I shivered. My vision was blurring again. I did not have the energy to stay awake under the constant pressure of pain. My head was nodding off as I felt myself slipping away to the loving embrace of unconsciousness. A creature, a Banshee must have noticed it, as my chin was suddenly clamped in a vice-like grip of clammy fingers. Nails pressed sharply in my cheek. I was forced to look at her. She was not the same Banshee that once belonged to Ari. She looked younger and far more dangerous.

"Stay awake, mortal," she said. "You will pay for what you did to my mother."

Her voice was cold and harsh. Nails against chalkboard would have been a more pleasant sound. I stared at her, but my eyes started to droop. Her fingers pressed harsher into my cheeks, causing new signals of pain to force me awake.

"Too bad you're already dried up. The robes can't take any more energy out of you."

I tried to struggle, both against her grip as well as against the robes. It was inefficient. It only caused more pain to course through my body and tears to blur my sight. A haughty laugh escaped the Banshee's lips as she witnessed my pain. Through my blurred vision, I saw her face getting closer to mine. The edges of my vision were already starting to black out.

"You won't win, little witch," she purred.

I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of being right. As darkness started to try and claim me again, I fought against it. This was the second time today that I was slipping away and I couldn't let it happen. The girls would be worried sick. And they would be angry. Very angry if I died.

Again a strange light caught my attention. It was not something I could see with my eyes. I only realised this as I had my eyes open this time. It was something I sensed. It felt like light. It was strange to describe, but I was grateful for noticing it again. It had saved me against Orube. Maybe it could save me now. I only had to grab it. I struggled for my arms, but they were still wrapped up in that horrible cloth. I heard the Banshee laugh again at my fruitless attempts. I felt her hand pet my cheek and push some hair away from my face. My face… What seemed to be the best idea I had at that point, I closed my eyes and headbutted the Banshee. She was in the way of me getting to the light and as I did, I noticed how close the light was. Without much thought I snapped at it with my mouth, trying to grab it with my teeth. My mind's eye confirmed me getting a hold of the light, but my own teeth also seemed to close on to something. I bit down hard, hearing a piercing howl from the Banshee. I didn't know what I was biting into, but I didn't care. She would know I wasn't going to give up without a fight.

I bit down harder, trying to get a better grasp on the light in my mind's eye. The screaming and hissing I heard seemed to dull as my mind fully fixated on the light. I had to take it. I had to use it to survive. Suddenly I was pushed back. My teeth clasped together and something flesh like filled my mouth as disgusting blood seeped down my throat. Once again only a small portion of the light seemed to come to me and as I opened my eyes I saw a horrifying spectacle.

The Banshee who had been tormenting me was bleeding horribly as part of her lower lip was missing. I quickly realised that that was what I was holding in my mouth and spit it out. A gag reflex followed, but my stomach content didn't. I looked back to see Yua, Ari's Banshee, separating the younger Banshee from me. Her eyes were wide. However, this time her eyes shone with more than anger. They were overwhelmed with fear.

"Leave her," she said. "She's not human."

"She's a monster."

With that, she took her daughter and they both disappeared into the bog. The other Banshee disappeared into their trees. The robes loosened around my legs and arms and I could stand up, without my energy being sucked out of me. The surge of energy I'd gotten from the light was enough to dull the pain to a degree where I did not faint immediately. But that was all. I had no energy to move. No energy to call out. All I had was the energy to stand tall. Still I tried one final thing.

" _Help"_

It was a feeble attempt to contact somebody, anybody who could hear me. It drained me of whatever kind of energy I had. My legs started to tremble and my vision started to darken. I heard heavy trudging in the distance and something bright suddenly descending from the skies. The warmth it gave off relieved me slightly and as I fell forward, something big caught me. The last thing I remembered was being lifted and cradled by two stony hands.

 ** _[A/N] That's all folks! New chapter will be up probs before 2019, if not then it will be there in January 2019._**

 ** _I hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to review!_**


	8. Chapter 8 Interlude

**Chapter 8 Interlude – I will never listen again**

Her glare had said it all. Her commands still rang in my ears as I used my telekinesis to slam the doors shut. An epiphany made me raise an extra wall of earth to block the doors. I hadn't finished that particular part of handy work before Irma started to yell at me.

"What are you doing, Cornelia? How is Will supposed to get out of there?"

I flipped my hair over my shoulder, levelling a cold stare at the brunette. "Teletransporting. Duh."

"We can't leave her, can we?"

I turned to look at Hay Lin. Anxiety defined her features as she glanced at my wall. I looked back with an uncomfortable feeling settling in my stomach. While I would admit that Will was arguably the one with the most experience in one-on-one fights, I did notice that the attacker seemed more experienced. And I had the frightening realization that Will probably knew this too. I huffed. My wall would only delay that woman when she knocked out Will.

My eyes wandered shortly to the sword I'd taken along. It lay now lifelessly on the floor next to the wall, its sharp edge gleaming in the light of the sun. I hoped this woman wouldn't kill Will. But seeing how she already came here with the intent to commit murder…I didn't want to think about it.

I caught Taranee glance at the sword as well. Our eyes met and I knew she was thinking along the same lines. She then looked at Ari. He was still cradling Maqi, though his eyes were sharp and filled with determination.

"Let's go," Taranee said. "The longer we stand here, the longer Will has to fight that woman."

I nodded and started to fly up. I looked down and gestured Ari to take the lead. Will might have accidentally folded her way to the Banshee's lair, I wasn't going to try my luck.

"Can't you wish her gone now?"

I looked at Irma. She made a reasonable request. The danger was locked behind a wall with a stubborn Guardian blocking the way. Ari could safely make his wish.

The blue haired man looked up. For a moment he seemed pensive. Was he truly debating with himself whether or not to wish that woman out of his palace? I hoped he didn't. Will was now fighting for her life to keep him safe. Any rancour thoughts dissipated as I saw him nod.

"Ba-"

I cursed when the windows nearby shattered. From it, another humanoid appeared. This one held similar traits to the woman who attacked us before. He had slightly pointed ears and cat-like pupils. He brandished several throwing knives, of which three were headed towards Ari. I sighed in relief when Hay Lin reacted. She blew the knives off course and knocked the attacker against the wall.

"Run!" Taranee said. "I take point! Irma and Hay Lin, you take Ari's left and right side. Cornelia, you protect us from behind."

I didn't argue with the plan. We all got into formation and as we did, another assassin came through the window. We started to move as more of them seemed keen on stabbing their weapon into Ari or Maqi. Hay Lin and Irma reacted often fast enough, blasting them against walls or blocking the weapons before they could do harm to the two we were trying to protect. That being said, they did get hit. A sword would swipe across their arm or leg. This resulted in a colourful curse from Irma, or one in Chinese from Hay Lin. Taranee took point, mercilessly blasting fire and heating up the entire corridor. A few had tried to attack us from the front. I only knew this due to the surprised and painful screams that sometimes erupted behind me. And I just kept everyone at bay that tried to follow us. While Hay Lin and Irma managed to knock out the assailants who came from side rooms or windows, these assailants wouldn't stay down forever. They recovered remarkably well. I had to resort to hurling chunks of the palace, raising new walls, forcing plants through the floor that restrained our attackers or at least hindered them or using my telekinesis to catch weapons or would-be attacks on my person. But the amount of attackers was growing and I was not skilled enough to keep everyone at bay. I hissed multiple times when a sword nicked my stomach or arms or legs. This usually was replied with a forceful push of my telekinesis.

We made another turn. Attacks no longer came from the front, but I had become aware that several who had been locked away by one of my walls, were using the windows to hop in and out of the palace. This way they avoided my walls and gave Hay Lin and Irma some extra work to do.

"This is why you should have guards!"

Irma's growl of frustration rang through the hallways, clearly audible over the ruckus of howling winds, roaring fire, torrents of water and rumblings of earth. Her loud voice was often a punishment, but now I was grateful. Only because I at least had someone agreeing with me that Ari did not know how to safeguard a palace. I could hear Ari faintly say something, but it didn't overcome the roar of the elements. Hay Lin's voice did.

"Just because you're new, doesn't mean you have to be stupid."

I dared to glance aside. I saw a very obvious irritated look on the petite Asian's face. It was terribly rare for Hay Lin to wear any other expression than happiness or concentration. This particular look was usually only reserved for those who were pushing their luck way too much. But I was agreeing with her. While I had been glad of the lack of guards when we infiltrated, I now truly wished there were some to help us.

I rammed another assailant between two pillars when I heard Ari speak. I glanced to see him jump past Irma and into a passageway.

"If he dies, is it our fault?" I heard Irma mutter.

I frowned at her. She didn't seem to notice it. Instead she jumped in after Ari. Hay Lin patted Taranee's back, getting her attention. Then she too ran after Ari. Taranee turned around, halting her fire. The stones in front of her seemed to be sizzling and I wondered how I hadn't noticed the heat. She looked panicked when she realized Ari, Hay Lin and Irma were gone. I gestured to the passageway that went down. A grim look followed and Taranee ran past me. I was sure she too was cursing now. I furrowed my brow and as I too stepped over the boundary of the passageway, I raised a new wall. As I did, I started panting. This whole ordeal had been way too much. Healing Maqi had already been pushing my limits, but now fighting our way through the palace? I could use a good night's rest.

I stalked off after the others, noticing the passageway opening up to a large cave. The walls were roughly hewn out. Stalactites and stalagmites jutted from the ceiling and the floor. The stairs, which were no better than a heap of messily placed steps, lead down to what seemed to be a pool. Robes, pink in colour, came down from the ceiling and disappeared into the green water, which seemed to glow ever so slightly. There was a bit of cave left at the bottom of the stairs, where I found the others. Hay Lin was bent over, heaving loudly. Irma sat down, her face in her hands as her elbows rested on her knees. She too was breathing heavily. Taranee panted slightly, but was still standing. Her eyes were focussed on the wall I had made. Ari had placed Maqi, who was still unconscious, on the ground. He stretched and too seemed to be waiting. His sword was still at his hip and one hand was already placed on the handle.

A few seconds went by. They turned into minutes. I hadn't left my position on the stairs, just in case someone did break through. Finally, I had become certain no one was following us. Relief settled within me and I descended the rest of the stairs. Taranee relaxed and I heard Irma mutter a 'thank god' as I passed her.

"Banshee!"

I watched Ari move towards the lake. The water started to bubble and out of it, a sickly green woman appeared. Her long wet hair was thick and shared a similar sick gradient of colour as her skin. Her face was sunken and her eyes followed Ari like a predator would eye its prey. I did not like this creature. My lip raised slightly in disgust as its voice echoed through the chamber.

"Yes, _drip drip_ , Master?"

I was no fool. Her words were laced with sarcasm. I wondered if she dreamt about killing Ari. I wouldn't be surprised if she did.

"Get rid of any intruders in the palace. The Guardian left behind is no intruder."

The Banshee's face split apart in a vile grin. "There are no intruders left in the palace, Master"

I sighed in relief. This meant that all those lunatics were gone. And Will…. My eyes widened. Was she okay? I couldn't remember hearing anything from her. I looked panicked at Taranee. By how she was focussing at the ground, I figured she was trying to contact Will. Relief once again fuelled me as I saw her grin and make a thumbs up.

"Will's fine," she said.

Ari turned to us. He had an eyebrow raised, but didn't speak his mind.  
"Are you in contact with your leader?"

Taranee nodded.

"Ask her what she wanted me to wish for."

Taranee started staring into space again. I waited for a response, feeling a bit uncomfortable. I wasn't used to be out of a conversation. I rolled my shoulders in an attempt to ease out any leftover stress. Somehow I felt like there was something else that would ruin our day.

"She's saying you have to wish to make it impossible to revoke your previous wishes."

The reaction was imminent. The Banshee screeched a loud 'no' and lurched forward. I instinctively took several steps back. My magic hummed at my fingertips as the creature looked desperately at Ari.

"Master, you wouldn't listen to these servants of Kandrakar?"

She was pleading. I felt there was more to it. Why would she care if Ari would make that wish? It wasn't like she could do anything about it. Her eyes flickered angrily whilst the rest of her face made an effort to project desperation and humility.

Ari, who'd also taken a step back, lifted his nose at her.  
"You have no say in my actions, creature," he said. "Now make it so that none of my wishes can be revoked."

The Banshee's hands balled up. The water bubbled ominously while a pale green seeped from his fingers. I felt a shiver go through my body while watching the Banshee work. She muttered some things and a wave of magic washed over us. All the while that was happening, her forest green eyes glared angrily from Ari to us. This time I shivered, but not because of the magic I felt. Something bad was going to happen.

The magic subsided and the Banshee looked at Ari, almost as if she were expecting something.

"If that was all, Master…"

Ari held up his hand. Something inside of me was telling me to stop him. It felt wrong to free the Banshee now. Yet I remained mute as I watched him speak.

"Banshee, I have a promise to honour. And thus, I set you free. Return from whence you came."

Being noble was apparently a thing for Ari. He stood tall and feigned a royal disposition. It reminded me of how Elyon acted in her first weeks. Stiff and uncomfortable. But in contrary to Elyon, Ari seemed to radiate some kind of confidence she didn't have at the beginning of her term.

I watched how the robes disappeared around the Banshee. The Banshee looked at her now unbound arms and a sneer formed on her lips. Her eyes blazed with hatred. The water bubbled even more and she lunged forward, releasing a horrible scream. The scream came unannounced and I had to plug my ears in response. I watched helplessly as what I assumed to be an attack on Ari. I secretly hoped she would. Her promise to Will would be broken and she would dissolve. My stomach turned when the Banshee turned into water and drenched Ari. She reformed behind him and charged up the stairs, crushing my wall with ease. As she left, the cave started to tremble. Bits and pieces were starting to fall down.

"It's collapsing!" Hay Lin said.

"We need to get out of here!" I added.

The rest didn't need to be told twice. As the girls were making a headway up the stairs, I noticed Ari running to Maqi. Debris was falling down and I caught it in time to avoid them from getting hurt. Ari noticed the sudden shadow, looked up at the large rock and then at me. I gestured at the stairs, grunting an annoyed and unladylike 'NOW'. Ari made his way and I flew above him, keeping other dangerous obstacles from us or the way out. The moment we made it out, the rest of the cave collapsed. The entrance was completely sealed off. The remnants of my wall scattered the hallway as we all took a breather.

"We're lucky we've made it," Taranee said.

"Couldn't you ask her to leave gently?" Irma said, a sarcastic note in her tone while her sea-blue eyes glared angrily at the man.

Ari merely gasped for air, holding Maqi close to him. He checked his son for any potential wounds, apparently ignoring Irma. I leaned against the wall, placing a hand on my chest. My heart was still thundering and I wondered if it would ever quiet down. For a short moment, all seemed calm. All seemed settled. That illusion was shattered by Taranee's sharp intake of breath.

"Will!"

I looked at her, startled. I'd forgotten about her. She was probably exhausted. And… The realization was hitting me as I saw Taranee fly away. Will had ensured that the Banshee would not take its revenge on Ari. But that didn't mean that she couldn't take her revenge on someone else. I looked around, noticing that the same realization had come to the others. Only Ari looked up in confusion. I didn't have time to explain. I followed Taranee. I could hear Ari call us back for clarification. I didn't care. We were done with him and his son anyway. All we had to do now was return home safely. All of us.

A scream tore through me. I recognized it as Taranee's voice, but the cry was in so much agony that I halted in surprise. Irma and Hay Lin caught up to me. In the distance I heard the quick approaching footsteps of Ari. I shared a look with the two girls. Hay Lin had paled at Taranee's screech and even Irma didn't seem to be in a mood to crack a joke. We proceeded together, arriving shortly in the throne room. Here too my wall had been torn down. A gasp escaped my lips as I looked around. At first glance the throne room looked normal, with Taranee sitting on her knees in the middle of it. But at closer inspection I saw how the knees of her leggings were slowly soaking and colouring scarlet. She was seated in a puddle of blood. The longer I looked, the more blood I saw. I heard Hay Lin gasp audibly and Irma swallow loudly. Our arrival caught Taranee's attention. Her eyes were stained with tears, but it was not despair that seemed to hold its grasp on her. Her features were distorted into a hateful expression. Her lips were twisted in a snarl. Her eyebrows knitted together with small flames licking at them. Her eyes were dark as they seemed to search for something behind us. Her hands were balled as they lay on top of her knees.

"You."

I took a surprised step back when I heard her voice. It was deeper than before. Raspier. She got up and walked right past us, up to Ari. As she did, I noticed how the temperature around her was hotter. I'd never seen her this angry before. It was so unlike her. And because it was, I grabbed her shoulder. An immediate hiss of pain left my lips as Taranee's body was hotter than expected. Even so, I held on. Tears pooled in my eyes as Taranee turned her shoulder away from me and glared me down. Never before had she dared anything like this. And I was not about to be intimidated by her now. I tried to make myself bigger. From the corner of my eye I noticed Ari remaining in the entrance of the room.

"It's his fault she's gone. If he hadn't been so difficult with his Banshee, we wouldn't have to waste our energy on healing him."

Taranee apparently knew what I was going to say. Telepathy could be irritating.

"It's her own fault. Don't tell me you didn't realize the flaw in that plan of hers."

Taranee hissed angrily at me. Insulting her intelligence was a sure fire way to get her angry, but I needed to hear her say it. I wasn't happy with the situation either. I felt she was right. Ari certainly had some hand in our current predicament. But I wasn't going to pretend that Will was innocent either. She probably hadn't expected to fight after we healed Maqi. I couldn't blame her. You can't take everything into account. But damn it. She deliberately put herself into harm's way.

"Look, you can and try explode now, or you put that surge of energy into searching for Will."

"Your leader…She's gone?"

I turned to Ari, gladly taking my eyes a few seconds off Taranee's blazing ones. The way fire reflected in her glasses creeped me slightly. Ari looked dumbfounded at us. Maqi was still asleep in his arms. I envied the boy slightly, sleeping through all of this. However, I shouldn't be distracted. Will was gone and I doubted we had a lot of time to save her.

" _Your_ Banshee probably took her," Irma sneered.

Now, for the first time since my confrontation with Taranee, did I look at the others. Hay Lin looked extremely pale, like anything could make her keel over within seconds. Irma was on the other side of the spectrum. She too was close to thinking like Taranee if I had to judge by the look she was giving Ari. Her accusing tone cut through the air with a definite effect on Ari. Remorse first seemed to cross his face, before a flaming sort of determination took its place.

"Then we'll have to find her. If Yua has taken her, she'll probably be in the Banshee Marshes. I know the way, I will guide you."

At that moment hurried footsteps came our way. Taranee's hands were ignited in seconds, but I wasn't far behind with focussing my magic. One of the men we'd seen training outside the palace approached, heaving and wheezing as he arrived at the throne room. His eyes widened when he saw the rubble, us with our magic at the ready and Ari with Maqi in his arms.

"Lord! I…"

"Make it quick soldier. The Guardians and I have to head to the Banshee Marshes immediately."

As Ari spoke, he placed Maqi in the arms of the confused soldier. He gestured us to follow and we did. The soldier looked aghast at us passing and at little Maqi in his arms. He needed a few seconds to walk up to us. I didn't know if he accepted the random change in his Lord's enemies, but he was at least smart enough not to question it.

"My Lord. The fire and earth creature, they stalked off. They…Went into the Banshee Marshes. The men didn't want to follow and…"

"You did well not to follow," Ari interrupted. "Watch my son while I'm gone. You got here by horse?"

The man nodded dumbfounded. He halted and watched us go. I didn't spare him a second glance. I started to fly as Ari took a running leap towards a horse that stood in front of the palace. The horse reared back in alarm, but it was evident that Ari was at least a seasoned rider. With a good spur he rode the horse off into the forest, with us close to his tail.

As we flew, I glanced shortly at Taranee. She was clearly still very angered, but seemed to be more in control than before. We flew for a while. None of us spoke up. I took my time to try and speak with the greenery around us. Their whispers were insistent and all were telling me one thing. Yua and Will passed by. I did not want to listen to the details about Will's wellbeing. In my mind she was still fine. Just bound. I did not try to imagine any other situation she could be in. She was probably defiantly staring Yua down, claiming we were coming for her. With that ridiculous trust in us like she usually has.

So I cut them off and we flew on. It took a while before Ari slowly came to a stop. His horse was nervous and he descended. He sent the horse back, which seemed all too happy to comply.

"I can't take the horse from here on out. I trust your leader should be somewhere here," Ari said.

"If that's right, we have to move."

I rolled my eyes slightly at Taranee's impatience. We were getting there. I just didn't want to share her worry. I didn't want her to be right in being troubled like this. We followed Ari again as he slowly made his way through the swamp. Against my better judgement had I descended and now my feet were slowly filling with the muck of the swamp. A shiver ran down my spine as the cold rushed up through my feet. The slime caused me to slip a little in my shoes. Landing had been a bad decision.

"Something is off."

I halted, cocking my head slightly as Ari suddenly came to a stop. He was looking around, sniffing the air.

"What's wrong?" Irma said.

Ari waited a little before answering. As he did, I felt a slight prodding from the back of my mind. It was familiar to a telepathic connection. I opened it quickly, hoping it to be Will. Instead I heard something akin to a low rumbling sound, but I could not make out any words.

"Usually you should smell a horrible scent around the Banshee's den. It's their way of chasing away enemies. But now…"

Hay Lin sniffed the air besides me. She grimaced slightly.

"I only smell swamp. Nothing worse. You think they've moved?" she said.

Ari nodded. My hands balled up. This was not helping us. We had to find Will. Who knew what that Banshee was doing to her?  
My sentiments were shared by Irma, who threw her hands up in the air in frustration. As she did, two pillars of swamp water arose behind her, but she didn't heed them. Instead she glared helplessly at Ari.

"So what now?" she said.

Again the telepathic connection seemed to strain to contact me. I opened it, hearing the same rumbling sound. Only this time I was almost sure I heard it say a word.

"You kidnap the Banshee, Will makes a deal with it to still keep you and your son safe and now she has to pay for it? For your idiocy? Do you realize how close you were to going to war with Kandrakar? Do you have an inkling of a clue that what Will did wasn't necessary but because she apparently wanted to spare you of your madness she still persuaded the Banshee into a bargain? HAVE YOu-"

"Shh."

I looked at Taranee, who just boldly hushed Irma's rant to Ari. Ari had been looking unperturbed at our raging Water Guardian, with Hay Lin wincing slightly as Irma's voice rang louder and louder through the swamps. Taranee didn't seem to be listening. Instead her brow was furrowed in concentration, as if she tried to hear something else. At this time I could again hear the rumbling sound within my mind.

" _Ov-er here."_

I looked up wildly, just when Irma exploded towards Taranee.

"Do not dare to hush me Cook! This clown of a man needs to know exactly what bullshit we've gone through, Will's gone through, to keep him safe. And I will not let you hush me while I-"

"Be silent Irma. I hear something," Taranee urged, oblivious to Irma's rage.

The water bubbled dangerously around Irma. Ari looked dumbfounded at the two and took several steps back. And yet I didn't scold Irma. Instead the deep voice resounded once more in my mind while Taranee already took off.

" _My Lady, you are close. She is here."_

I didn't know who was speaking. I didn't know why I knew where the voice came from. All I knew was that I had to go to it. I was sure it was talking about Will. Irma's shouts followed me. Something about her not being done with us. Demanding an explanation. Wet running footsteps followed us as well when out of nowhere, a large fire explosion coloured the sky. I looked surprised at Taranee, who had halted. We shared a look, from which I could read she had no idea where it came from. I looked back at the explosion, finding now the fire golem Will had made before our infiltration. It flew in front of us. The moment our eyes fell upon it, it shot downwards, urging us to follow it.

We dove after it and came upon the earth golem. It stood tall and only slightly injured from attacks. A broken spear jutted out of one of his joints. His stone face turned to look at us and nodded, holding its hands up.

My breath stopped. My stomach turned and tears came to my eyes. In its arms lay Will, battered and broken. Blood was splattered across her sleeves and stomach. Around her mouth and down the front of her top was a dark olive green liquid. Her lips were black and I could see something green trace down the inside of her throat, as if her veins started to discolour. Only by the frequent moving of her chest did I know that she was still alive.

"Will," I said under my breath.

I had to look away. I couldn't bear to see her like this. As I did, I noticed Taranee staring at the body of our friend. Her hands balled, but her voice seemed to be lost. Seconds past before she finally managed to form words.

"Help!"

As by magic, the others appeared. Irma halted immediately upon seeing Will, looking green herself. Hay Lin had to turn away, grabbing Irma for comfort. Ari was the only one who didn't stop. He immediately moved up to inspect Will. I saw the golem trying to keep her away from him, while the fire golem moved in between them. I placed my hand on the earth golem, while Taranee's hoarse voice croaked out the same thing I tried to convey.

"It's okay."

The fire golem moved out of the way. The earth golem lowered its arms for Ari to get a closer look on Will. I watched him closely, unaware of my own erratic breathing. One look upon her made him curse.

"Banshee's blood. A deadly poison. They made her take it. This is not good. We need to get back to the palace. I have to alarm a doctor."

I looked grimly at him. "You can save her?"

He shook his head. "No, but I know of someone who might."

I nodded. I shared a very short look with the others. Hay Lin hadn't been looking in Will's general direction, and the tears were brimming in her eyes. She nodded with determination. The others did so as well and within a flash we were back at the palace. The two golems were with us and Ari gasped in surprise. I looked at him recovering from the initial surprise.

"She needs to be placed in a bed. And I need to get to the village as soon as possible. I have no doctor around here," he said.

"I'd be surprised if you did," I heard Irma mutter underneath her breath.

Ari seemed to not notice it. He was already making his way to the entrance when Hay Lin flew up behind him.

"Wait! I'll take you along. We'll be faster."

With that she conjured a wind that picked up Ari. He let out a new scream, this time out of horror. He had no time to object as Hay Lin flew off, with him close behind her. On a normal day, I would have thought this to be quite amusing. Today I only grunted at his stupidity. He was going to have to increase the number of people working here if he wanted a working palace. I looked away from the doors and returned my gaze to Will. She was wheezing now, the green slowly pooling down her chest. The Heart of Kandrakar had shown itself, and lay now on her chest. It pulsed with a soft light. I hoped it was not an indication to Will's own heart rate, for I feared she wouldn't survive if her heart beat was this low.

Stumbling caught our attention and the soldier from before appeared. He screamed in surprise at the sight of us and the two golems. Neither of the golems reacted, as neither Taranee or I did. Irma walked up to him.

"You can scream all you want, but we need a bed now."

I guess that she'd learned a thing or two about commanding others. Her voice was compelling enough without magic. Perhaps it was some sort of desperation. The soldier nodded numbly. He gestured us to follow him and sped away. Irma huffed greatly annoyed. She turned around to look at us. I saw how her eyes temporarily rested on Will. Her body tensed and I saw her swallow again. She averted her eyes and instead looked at me. I felt out of place. I needed someone to tell me everything would be alright. I didn't want to be the one who had to give the assurance.

"Come on," I said.

I went after the soldier, with the earth golem trudging behind me. It held Will carefully in its arms. I was glad it held her. It felt slightly more comforting to know she was at least in safe hands. I noticed the soldier standing somewhere down the corridor, looking uncomfortable as we approached. He regarded the golems with an immense suspicion and unease. He moved out of the way as the earth golem moved into the room. To my surprise it shrunk in size, as to fit through the door. It carefully laid down Will on the bed and stood beside her. The fire golem moved and went to lay on her stomach, as if to burn the poison away. I shivered uncontrollably when I saw the flames licking her stomach. There was no sign of burns, nor did Will react to any apparent pain. I looked at Taranee, whose gaze was still on Will. Her eyes were wide, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Before I had a chance to ask her about the lethality of the fire dragon golem, running steps resounded through the hall. I turned away from the room to see Hay Lin arrive first, with Ari, a man and a boy in her wake. The man was balding, wore glasses and the peasant clothing I'd become familiar of seeing around these parts. The boy could not be older than Lillian, with short blue hair and deep green eyes. He was carrying a large leather bag, which seemed to hold multiple vials if the jingling sounds were any indication.

The man immediately walked into the room. My earth golem didn't react, but the fire golem growled at him. This was the first time I heard a golem make a sound and even I was taken aback. The man did not seem perturbed.

"Could someone please remove the serpent? I have to check the patient."

His voice was reedy and testy. He didn't seem to be surprised or impressed by the presence of the Guardians, or of the fire dragon that seemed to be keen on setting him on fire. It growled again.

"Move away."

Taranee's voice was broken, as if she was on the verge of tears. Yet I heard a note of anger hidden within it. The fire golem seemed to notice it as well and with a growl of dislike, it left Will. It flew behind Taranee, eyeing the doctor with a death stare that resembled the one Taranee gave him. As if both were promising him a very painful death if Will would not make it.

The doctor ignored the glances. He gestured for the boy to follow him. The young child had been hesitant to enter the room, anxiously looking at us and the golems. When the doctor clacked his tongue in irritation, the boy jumped up. He quickly moved to the doctor's side.

I watched the doctor methodically check Will. He first placed his hand on her forehead, taking it back quickly. He opened one of her eyes, peered in it, before letting go. He carefully took her chin and tilted it slightly, while his other hand traced the lines the poison was making. At this point he gave a dissatisfied grunt. He snapped his fingers, an indication for the boy to open the bag.

"Dio, look for four vials of Banshee blood antidote. You – he turned to the soldier who had brought us here – bring me some water. As quickly as possible. One tankard should do."

The boy started to rummage through the bag while the soldier looked forlorn at Ari. Ari took only a moment's notice of him, before nodding. The soldier scratched his head in confusion, but ran off anyway. While this was going on, the doctor checked the rest of her body. Without even asking he took some scissors from his bag and started cutting into the fabric of Will's top. He seemed to be aware of our protest, for as our voices started to fill the room, he raised his other hand.

"I need to get her out of the garment, so she may breath more comfortably."

I watched with more pain than before how the Guardian top, which had protected Will from numerous blade and arrow attacks, was so easily cut apart. The doctor pulled it off, revealing a set of deep dark bruises down her right arm. He prodded them gently, muttering the word 'curious'. He threw the now ruined garment over a nearby chair as running footsteps announced the return of the soldier. He entered the room, holding one tankard of water. A deep blush formed on his cheeks when he saw Will laying without her top. She still wore something I'd seen in Meridian and recognized as chest bindings. It probably came with our transformation.

Irma noticed him ogling and slapped him across the face before taking the tankard from him. The poor man looked even more confused and decided he was probably no longer needed. He left the room, not daring to look back again.

"Good. Now you – he pointed at me – help me hold her head up a little. We need her to drink the water first."

I looked at the tankard. It was a lot of water. I faintly remembered that my mother always told me to make Lillian drink water in the unlikely event that she would consume washing detergent. It would delude the toxic qualities. And so, I tried to lift up Will's head. She groaned a bit as I did. I heard the doctor mutter 'good' before administrating the water. Most of it was spilled down her chin. Will drank automatically, but not as fast as she normally would. The moment the tankard was empty, the doctor proceeded with the vials his assistant was giving him. Each vial held a blue liquid and seemed slightly more slimy than a normal liquid would. He dripped it down her throat, this time careful not to spill anything. The four vials were downed, resulting in Will having a massive coughing fit. She started to gag and I felt bad for keeping her head up right.

Then she relaxed. Her breathing was still erratic, but her face already showed more ease than it did before. I gently placed her head back on the pillow. A soft moan flitted her lips. I winced slightly, muttering an apology as I took a step back.

"Will she make it?"

Taranee's voice broke the silence that had taken a hold of the room. The doctor seemed to ignore her at first, gather his vials and corking them again. He might have sensed her impatience, along with ours. He looked up and looked us all in the eye.

"I don't know what she did to get the Banshee to administer her their blood, but let me tell you ladies that it was terribly reckless. I don't know if it's normal for the people of your planet or because you are Guardians, but she has an abnormally powerful regeneration. If it weren't for that, your friend here wouldn't even be alive by the time I got here."

I pursed my lips. Humans of Earth were by far one of the frailest creatures I'd ever met. I was certain it was Will's Guardian form that kept her from dying. That meant that in some way, she was now indebted to Kandrakar. I crossed my arms. It had been Kandrakar's fault that she got poisoned anyway. If we weren't Guardians, we would have never met the Banshee and Will wouldn't have been poisoned. It was certainly something I would argue if anyone would bring up this debt.

"I believe she will make it. But we have to wait. She is not to be moved until fully healed. I will leave instructions how to make a small concoction that will keep her hydrated and give her the needed nutrients to recover. I'll be checking up on her every day."

With that he closed his bag and handed it to the boy. The kid huffed under the sudden strain of the bag. The doctor paid no heed and was already looking and checking Will's bruised arm.

"Could she heal faster if someone tried to heal her magically?"

I looked at Irma with a frown. I had to admit I hadn't thought of my powers as a way to help. No, the truth was that I was unsure if it would work.

"Irma, I don't know how my healing works in relation to poisons. What if I accidentally made it worse?"

"You wouldn-"

"Clever thinking of you, young lady."

Irma silenced immediately as our attention was turned to the doctor. He was still looking at Will's bruised arm, gently holding it and bending it. He looked up with his eyebrows knitted together in a disapproving way.

"Magic healing is indeed powerful, but if the practitioner is uncertain how to heal, the opposite effect may occur. What you felt inherently was indeed the right decision," he said.

He turned back to Will's arm, placing it back on the bed and snapping his fingers at the boy. The boy opened the bag again. The doctor search through the many vials and pots he had in it before he pulled out a small container. He opened it and a sickly sweet scent came from it. I wrinkled my nose as I watched how he put some sort of orange paste on the bruises.

"I guess it is due to that high healing factor of hers, but these bruises indicate a very recent injury to her arm. I would say it was broken not too long ago. But her arm seems to work fine, albeit a bit sore due to the bruising. I recommend putting the paste on her arm twice a day, to accelerate the healing."

With that he pressed the container in my hands. He cleaned his own with a towel from his bag before the boy clipped it close again. The doctor looked at us again. His face now looked calmer and he made a nicer impression than when he first entered.

"If that was all my Lord, I would like to take my leave. With non-magical means if you don't mind."

From the corner of my eye I noticed Hay Lin blushing slightly. Ari nodded and guided the man and the boy out of the room. We were left alone with Will's breathing being painstakingly loud. When she started to cough again, we all reacted. Taranee and I were closest to the bed and the first to arrive at her side. Irma and Hay Lin stood at the end on the bed, looking horrified. Taranee took a hold of Will's hand, while her golem retook its position on Will's stomach. I placed my hand on her uninjured arm, squeezing it gently. My golem only turned its head to the bed, but remained otherwise immobile. Irma's hands clenched on the bed post, while Hay Lin whimpered Will's name.

The coughing stopped and Will continued to breathe heavily. We stood silently at her bed, staring down on her. I felt uneasy. Will did not show vulnerability. At least, not in Guardian form. I'd seen her fret, be jealous and even cry when in human form. But never as a Guardian. And only now I realized how accustomed I'd grown to that. I never thought I would be this unsettled by the lack of her support. It was in these situations I could turn to her and have her tell me everything would be fine. To have no one telling me this made me uneasy. I felt lost and confused. And worried. I looked once more at her. She looked so ill. So broken.

"Will she really make it?"

I looked up, right into Hay Lin's paled face. Her eyes were big and her lip quivered. I took a moment. No one asked me this. This was a Will question. Not one for me. As I remained silent, Hay Lin's lip quivered even more. Irma was now staring at me as well. I clenched my hands.

"She will. It's Will after all. She got us out of those elemental states. This has to be easy for her."

I made sure my voice didn't tremble as I spoke. I pushed all my conviction in those words, willing myself to believe them. And even if I still was afraid that what I said was not true, I could see the relief settle within Hay Lin. A weak smile formed on her lips as she looked back at Will. I momentarily looked at Irma. She only nodded, still mute.

I averted my gaze, looking back at our ailing leader. Stoic walking surprised me and caused me to turn my head. My golem had moved from its place next to the bed and stood now behind me. I leaned back into it, finding the moss that grew on the surface to be soft.

" _The Mistress will survive. She is strong."_

"Yeah," I muttered in return.

That was how our first day on Arkhanta ended. Both Irma and Hay Lin had taken their leave from the room after an hour. I didn't know what they did to relieve their concerns, but I realized that it was not in their nature to remain next to what caused them those worries. Taranee and I endured. We both took a chair and sat next to Will, watching over her. We only left, reluctantly, for dinner. Ari had been generous to us, giving us rooms to sleep in and some of the best food he had. He promised a banquet when Will recovered. He seemed sincere in his attempts to apologize for his behaviour. I just didn't want to hear it. He could try again when Will was awake and well again.

The following days seemed to follow a similar pattern. It was during the second day that I asked Taranee to take shifts. Neither of us had slept during the night and it was becoming clear we both needed to rest. I volunteered to stay awake a little longer. That way Taranee could take a short nap. Within four hours did she return and I retreated for a short rest. I learned that our wings didn't obstruct sleeping on our backs or taking off or putting on our clothing. I fell asleep rather quickly, but I didn't really dream. I didn't sleep well either. At least I was slightly more alert and well rested than before.

While Taranee and I kept a faithful watch over Will, Irma and Hay Lin roamed the palace and the grounds around it. Hay Lin had become the unofficial babysitter of Maqi. Both of them would visit frequently, showing drawings to us that they had made and leaving one for Will. Irma didn't visit. In fact, I barely saw her. She only appeared during dinner, where she hardly said a word. On normal days I would have seen it as a blessing. I hadn't fought with her for a while now and it was worrying in its own way. She didn't visit Will either. She just disappeared. When I finally asked Hay Lin about her, she relayed that Irma was often found in the kitchens, speaking with the cooks and learning a thing or two about cooking. When she wasn't there, she presumably went into the town. Hay Lin also communicated her concern for Irma. When she tried to talk to her, Irma tried her best to smile and act like nothing was wrong, but Hay Lin could sense the lies.

It had been four days since we found Will. The green had started to wane from her chest and throat. Her cut up Guardian top had repaired itself magically and lay clean on the chair I used. The bruises on her arm were gone. She had started to mutter in her sleep and could breathe more easily now. She also had taken a grip on the Heart with her hand. At first it seemed harmless, but when the doctor came to inspect that arm and tried to pry it away from the Heart, Will would release dangerous sparks. We decided it was perhaps some Keeper instinct to keep the Heart safe and best left alone.

Hay Lin stayed longer now, telling Will and us about what she and Maqi had done during the day. She looked healthier as well. Taranee and I had finally recovered from our lack of sleep and were both also visibly calmer the more Will healed. In our time alone with Will, we played with our golems. We decided to name them instead of destroying them. Usually I would make them collapse without a second thought, but this one kept me calm during the more testing hours. And it had saved Will. So I gave it the name Terbis. Taranee's way of thinking was probably along the same lines. I didn't ask her why she didn't snuff out her fire dragon. Instead she'd dubbed it 'Lux' and sometimes tossed it curled up paper.

The days had gone by slowly and I was always grateful of Hay Lin's and Maqi's visits. I even tolerated Ari's presence when he came to check up. The doctor only asked for any changes we'd noticed, gave Will some concoction to avoid any dehydration or starvation and wasn't really up for a talk. The only one who still had to show her face was Irma. She didn't ask how Will was during dinner, or express any kind of interest in her. And it was slowly starting to vex me.

And so, during that fourth day, I was making my way to my room. Taranee was now watching Will and I needed my sleep. Turning a corner, I could see Irma do the same at the end of the hall I just entered. Deciding to postpone my nap a little, I followed her. She hadn't gone far. The moment I turned the corner she'd taken, I saw her enter her room. I frowned a bit, as it should be around three during the day. I could take a quick nap because I'd been awake during the night. Why would Irma go to her room?

I knocked. A silence followed before I finally heard her giving me permission to enter. I noted how her voice broke at the end of the word 'open'. I opened the door and looked around. The room was similar to mine, with just a dresser, a bed and a table with a chair in it. The window gave a view of the gardens and the forests in the distance. Irma was sitting on the bed, but got up quickly when she saw it was me.

"Cornelia? What do you want?"

I looked at her. She tried to obviously glare at me, but her eyes seemed to be slightly red around the edges.

"Checking up on you. You've been acting off lately," I said.

"I'm fine. Thank you for checking up on me and goodbye."

Irma tried to push me out. I put my heels in the ground, accidentally pushing them literally in the stone floor. Irma realized the futility in pushing me and stopped abruptly, causing me to falter backwards. I caught myself in time and glared at her. She had crossed her arms and looked irritated by my presence. At least some of the old Irma was still there.

"If you were fine I wouldn't have come here. I have barely seen you over the past days," I said, ignoring her rude behaviour.

Irma shrugged. "You've seen me at dinner. And I thought you of all people wouldn't mind seeing me a little lesser than usual."

A corner of my mouth turned upwards. I pushed it down and rolled my eyes.

"You know what I mean. You haven't visited Will a single time since day one."

"How would you know that? Maybe I visited when you went to sleep."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? My golem would have notified me. You can't lie yourself out of this one, Lair. Tell me what's wrong."

I'd seen a lot of glares from Irma. Yet the one she send me now, was chilling. Usually there was a hint of playfulness in every glare. This one was solely fuelled by anger. I didn't know what I'd done wrong, but I was certain Irma would point it out to me.

"I don't have to tell you anything! You are nor my mom, nor Will. Just leave me be."

It was an explosion I wasn't fully prepared for. I took a step back as Irma lashed out at me. However, I wasn't going to take it. I glared in return and crossed my arms. I was about to shout back when her last sentence echoed through my mind. People would usually say stuff like 'you're not my mom' when being interrogated about their health and such. It was strange for Irma to add Will to that sentence. I slowly uncrossed my arms as I looked at her.

"You're afraid of Will."

I didn't mean it as in the sense of Will frightening Irma. I meant it as in Will's state being what spooked her. Irma's glare slowly cracked. Her eyes watered and she turned her head away, crossing her arms.

"Oh please. I afraid of Will? Chris can be a lot scarier than her."

Irma's voice was slightly broken.

"You know precisely what I meant with that. Why else would you turn away?"

"Corny, you're talking in riddles," Irma said.

I stepped forward. I grabbed her shoulder and forcefully turned her around. I looked down, into two pools of sea-blue, threatening to spill out the water that was painstakingly stopped. Her eyebrows formed a glare, but the budding tears were enough to dispel any hostility the glare would have had. She pushed my hand away.

"Irma. She's looking better you know. The green. It's slowly pulling back."

Irma turned her head away again. She rubbed her eyes and I heard a soft snicker.

"Well duh. She would make it anyway. You didn't have to tell me that."

"I wouldn't have to if you just stopped by," I pointed out.

A silence fell between us. Irma sniffled a few times and let out a deep sigh. I stood where I'd been, watching her with some concern.

"I couldn't, okay? Are you happy now?"

I frowned. Irma held her head up high, looking at the ceiling. She turned her head in such a way that I could see the side of her face. Her eye and nose were red.

"It just spooked me to see her like that. I couldn't stand it. That's not Will. She's not…"

I smiled wryly and sighed as well. I knew what she wanted to say. I felt the same way. Irma's hand balled.

"I feel like we should be capable of doing something to help her. I know your healing won't do her good, but isn't there something _I_ could do? All I can do now is stare at her body and pray to whoever wants to listen that she makes it. How's that any help?"

I sighed and shook my head. "Being there is a help. I don't know how, but she _knows_ when we're there. She reacts differently to me than to Taranee. She reacts when Hay Lin enters the room. I think she is aware we're there."

Irma turned to me, a lopsided grin now on her face. "You're telling me Will knows I haven't been visiting her? Are you trying to make me feel more guilty than I already did?"

This time I rolled my eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "I have no idea how this always happens. Sometimes it's just… It's like you deliberately say things to get under my skin."

The lopsided grin slowly turned into a real one.

"Well, to be fair, I do. It's pretty easy with you, actually. Probably brings out the worst in me," she said.

I groaned and gently nudged her. "Yeah, I wish you wouldn't."

Irma shrugged. "Corny, you know we're always good. A heated verbal tussle keeps us sane."

I shook my head. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I made my way to the door.

"You just used words I never thought you would know the meaning off," I said by way of a goodbye.

A muffled shout came through the now closed door. I shook my head and made for my room. At least I now knew why Irma was being so difficult. The oaf had some trouble with being powerless. I could understand the way she felt, but she had to act against it. I was therefore pleasantly surprised that when I returned to my shift after dinner, I found Irma already sitting there. She'd taken Taranee's chair and was talking to Will. I silently lamented my attempt to get Irma to come here, as it also meant that I had to listen to her stories. Some were terribly blown up and we even argued a few times. I was unsure if Will had been conscious enough to notice it, but she tended to mumble when things were heating up. It would remind us that we weren't alone and would cause our bout to stop.

All in all, everything seemed to go back to normal. On the fifth day only her jaw was still faintly green, but otherwise Will seemed fine. The doctor had stopped by, reporting that it was possible that she would awake any moment now. The poison was mostly gone. If she would awaken, she would probably feel like she had a flu, but otherwise should be fine. This lifted any anxiety we still harboured. It was also the first day the four of us sat together in the room since it all happened. Will tossed and turned in the bed, while Taranee would occasionally put a wet towel on her head to cool down the fever that had started. As we watched her, the inevitable subject would finally rear its head. How were we going to explain to our parents about our five days, maybe longer, absence?

"I'm going to get grounded. I won't see freedom till I'm thirty," Irma moaned.

She sat on her chair, with her arms hanging over the back. A deep sigh of despair left her lips and she rested her chin on the backrest. Hay Lin, who sat on the floor with her back to the wall, groaned as well.

"You will at least see your freedom. Remember how my parents reacted when I snuck out for the midnight premier? I'm going to be home schooled," Hay Lin said.

The corner of my mouth twitched, but the smile never came. I was going to face one hell of a punishment when I got home. I might even get send to a private institute. And by the look on Taranee's paler than usual visage, I was sure she too was going to face horrors at home.

"At least you have your grandmother who can downplay it," Irma said, glaring over at Hay Lin.

"And you have… That's it!"

Hay Lin jumped up. The smile on her face indicated her happiness for finding the solution. Her eyes sparkled and pointed at Irma. The latter sat back. Eyebrows raised, we all looked at Hay Lin.

"Can't you just…You know. _Suggest_ that they knew about us being away?"

Irma jumped up with a big grin. "Hay, you are a genius, you know that?"

I frowned. It was not as bad of an idea I thought it would have been. Irma tended to suggest lots of things to her parents. And they still acted like normal people. One suggestion wouldn't harm mine…Right? Still my stomach turned at the idea. I rather kept my parents outside of my magical life. Maybe I should first try and convince them myself instead of having Irma brainwash them.

"Or we can ask Kandrakar first, before going for the big guns."

I looked over at Taranee. She was frowning deeply, clearly not agreeing with the idea of her parents being subjugated to Irma's mind bending powers. However, her suggestion seemed more ridiculous. Kandrakar had been nothing but hostile against us. And especially now, I doubted they would help us. We didn't exactly obey orders, did we? My thoughts were not shared by the others. Both Irma and Hay Lin perked up at that idea. Irma actually forgot to be sceptic. And I couldn't bring myself to bring the party down. We've gone through so much in the past few days. A little ray of hope would be nice.

Will started to cough violently and we all looked at her. I once again became concerned. What if the doctor had missed something? What if she could still take a turn for the worse? My golem, Terbis, placed its hand on my shoulder. Taranee's golem reared up and rested once again upon Will's stomach. Slowly the coughing came to an end and we all held our breath. Gradually her eyes fluttered open. She blinked drowsily. It took her a full minute to blink her sleep away. With a start she bolted upright, her eyes wide and sparks randomly flying around her. Taranee's golem moved away from her in surprise. She was breathing heavily, the Heart glowing brightly.

"Will! Will, it's okay. You're safe," Taranee said, trying to push her back down.

She halted the attempts when she got a slight shock. However, her shouts still seemed to have an effect. Will's breathing became more and more steady as her eyes took in her surroundings. We all stood at her bed. My golem loomed over me, while Taranee's now floated above her. I swallowed as I saw Will's still green lips part. She let out a deep sigh, one I found myself mirroring. It was followed by perhaps her shyest smile. She carefully tugged her hair behind her ear.

"Good morning?" she said.

 _ **[A/N] A new chapter on the cusp of New Year. I hope you enjoyed it! You know, as always, I'd love to see your reviews! And a happy New Year!**_


	9. Chapter 9 Interlude - Report

**Chapter 9 Interlude - Report.**

I breathed heavily. The white halls went on and on beneath me. I didn't dare to look up as I was guided away from the Fold chambers. I couldn't fathom what had just occurred. I had fought with the Guardian Leader and despite of being told she wouldn't be much of a problem, I fought longer than I'd expected. And harder. She was a terrifying opponent and not because her martial arts were strong.

My mind kept replaying the fight, up until I had her neck within my grasp. A cold shiver ran down my spine thinking about what happened directly afterwards. I couldn't describe what occurred, but I remember feeling queasy and weakened. My intuition had forced me to let her go. I was certain I would have met my end if I hadn't. But what truly frightened me was watching how the Guardian healed in front of my eyes. The arm I'd broken returned to its former state and became useable again. Any cuts and bruises she had, disappeared as if they'd never been there. And her eyes glowed slightly.

"Wait here."

I looked up, blinking surprised. I'd forgotten where I was. I had to deliver my report. I had failed my initial mission, something my master would certainly punish me for. I watched how the clerk of Kandrakar entered the enormous doors in front of me. They closed and I was left alone. I took a deep breath. My head was already bowed and all I could do was stare at the lower part of the doors. Plain white, just like the rest of Kandrakar. How strange that a place with such grandeur could still look so immeasurably plain. As I waited, the doors slowly opened. The Congregation Hall greeted me. I only lifted my head for a few inches, seeing that I was not the only one called for the meeting. A large group, all dressed similarly stood patiently in front of the Oracle. The rest of the Council filled the benches that surrounded the large centre.

I calmly took my spot amongst the people, only recognizing a few from Basiliade. I figured that the others were most likely from other planets. As I scanned the crowd, I noticed that several had nasty burns. Others were drenched. A few had torn clothing and bleeding gashes, while remnant of the group looked as if they'd stepped out of a hurricane. Looking over at my own wounds, I thought I was lucky with just the one electrocution. My still burned hand brushed the cheek the Guardian had hit me on. It had been her first hit and it had been a nasty one.

"You have failed."

I winced. The voice of the Oracle was usually soft and gentle. Now it was loud and harsh. I didn't dare to look up. Instead I bowed my head in shame.

"You were tasked to finish the mission the Guardians were supposed to do if they proved to be disobedient."

I heard some movement and I dared to peek. Someone with green skin and horns had raised his hand. I almost wanted to hiss at him to lower it. There was no saving honour now. All they could do was wait and accept their punishment.

"My Lord. Please. We can still return. We only have to wait until nightfall and…"

"You will not. You have failed and now the circumstances have changed drastically. You shall receive your punishment."

A subdued, "yes, my Lord", followed. The doors to our left flew open and I closed my eyes. The punishment of Kandrakar would be added to what my master would give me. I doubted I would ever get a mission again. It had been by the graces of my master that I had been allowed to go on a mission at all. Students usually weren't allowed to perform missions, whether they came from the clan or from Kandrakar. But my master had sworn I wouldn't fail. And now, I've disgraced that trust.

"Orube of Basiliade, stay."

I halted mid-step. Someone bumped into me. I caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a look of pity on the woman's face before I looked up at the Oracle. His grey eyes bore into me. I lowered my head and remained in place, waiting for the others to clear out. The moment the doors slammed shut, silence ruled the room. I used all my focus to control my breathing. I didn't want to lose face in front of _Him_. And so, I waited.

"You have fought with the Guardian Leader. Please, give us your account of what happened."

I blinked and did so again. I looked up, surprised I was even asked this. The Oracle looked at me with more serenity than before. I decided not to push my luck. I took a deep breath and started to tell my side of the battle. At first I tried it to keep it as objectively as possible, but I was soon interrupted. The Oracle wished to hear my side. Which meant my opinions as well. And thus I told him about my obvious lack of concern when first meeting the Guardian, being slightly surprised to see her assume the same stance I did and then a general disgust when I learned she was but a novice. I admitted that my arrogance caused me to take a hit and how I felt energized because of it. I was impressed she dared to hit me with such power.

Then I stop. Thinking about the event was difficult enough. To say it out loud made me shiver. It made it real. I knew it was, but somehow I think I hoped I could downplay it as some sort of hallucination. Before the Oracle could ask me to continue, the words spilled from my mouth. How I first felt pity that she could not last longer. And then how I begrudgingly admitted to be afraid of her. How this strange, cold feeling reached through me up to my chest and pulled. How my instincts kicked in and released her. I felt tears crawl up as I explained. I forced them down when I took a short pause. However, the room was no longer silent. Whispers filled the space. I picked up words like 'dark magic' and 'Nerissa'.

"You speak of this, tell me, how did the Guardian Leader act as she did this?"

I looked at the Oracle. I racked my brain to remember the exact moment. Her eyes were glowing, her wounds were healing. But she…She looked. Confused. Confused and perhaps relieved.

"She appeared surprised, my Lord. And relieved."

The Oracle nodded. Disdainful whispers continued until he raised his hand. As the silence returned, I was asked to continue my story. I told them about my surprise to learn that she seemed more skilled than before. Somehow, I was not angered by this. Normally I would have been, knowing I was fighting an opponent who deliberately acted like she was weak. But the Guardian didn't seem to be doing it deliberately. It was as if her close brush with unconsciousness had triggered some hidden pool of talent even she wasn't aware off. I finished my explanation with halting the fight when I'd heard my master telling me to retreat. When I said that we exchanged names, new disdainful whispers arose, but the Oracle smiled. He nodded.

"You did well, Orube. Now go, your master will see you now."

I bowed deep, not daring to ask why I got this praise. I'd learned to take it when it was given. I walked out and indeed found my master waiting for me. Her long ears were laying flat on her head and her feline face was showed a look of disdain. I bowed my head.

"Master Luba."

"Orube," she said.

"I'm sorry for disgracing you. I shouldn't have taken so long with the Guardian Leader. I am sorry."

There was no reply. I kept my head bowed and waited. My muscles were sore and my hand still burned. My cheek was throbbing from the leftover pain. I truly wished to take a long rest, but I could not. Not until I'd received the punishment I deserved.

I felt a hand touch my head. I looked up, slightly confused. My master had her eyes closed and was muttering something underneath her breath. My heart skipped a beat when light shone from her hand. My head started to feel lighter and the room started to spin. She released my head. Everything stabilized itself and she looked at me with what I could read as concern.

"We both underestimated your opponent today. She is more dangerous than I previously thought."

I wanted to argue with her. The Guardian Leader was no threat. I shouldn't have provoked her. I wanted to test her skills, only to satisfy my own curiosity. If I'd gone all-out from the start, she'd never had a chance. A faint smile formed on my master's lips.

"Go to the gardens and meditate for a while. You'll feel better afterwards."

I nodded dumbly. I turned and began to make my way to the Kandrakarian gardens when my master called out for me once more.

"Orube. Was she really worth it to give her your name?"

I looked back. My mind went over our fight. If the Guardian Leader trained more, I was certain she would become an admirable opponent. And I was confident that we would meet again.

"Yes, master."

 _ **[A/N] That's the end of this chapter! Sorry it took so long, had some trouble in real life. But everything should be fine now. Don't forget to review!**_


	10. Chapter 10 Getting back on your feet

**Chapter 10 Getting back on your feet**

Waking up had been anything but fun. Normally I wasn't much a fan of awakening. Especially not when I could not recognize my environment. The last thing I could fully remember was biting the lip off a Banshee. Which was definitely going in my book of 'things I will never do again'. It took me a minute to realize I was safe. That the girls were surrounding me. And that they were as pale as I felt. My awkward greeting nearly caused them all to cry.

It was quite a surreal experience. I felt like I'd crawled back from Death's door and according to Irma's colourful story, apparently I did. The doctor – who Hay Lin had gone to fetch the moment she'd gathered herself – was also very clear on how lucky I was to have survived that kind of torture. He wasn't really too pleased when I told him how I got that poison in my system in the first place. He'd been close to saying that he shouldn't have tried to save me and something about natural selection. His mutterings quickly died out when he noticed how Taranee's hair had caught fire. Her fire golem, along with Cornelia's earth golem were also still present and clearly unhappy with his opinion. Nevertheless I thanked him. At least I could still tell everyone of my big mistake. Before the good doctor made his quick escape, he reminded me that I was not allowed to do any tough physical exercise until the green had left my lips. This meant a total embargo on Guardian practice, swimming and P.E. I was going to have a boring few days, I was certain of that.

Ari was quick to enter after the doctor left. I really wanted some rest. Hopefully this time without a series of awkward dreams. But he seemed keen on thanking me. He was terribly thorough, apologizing for his underestimation of our abilities as well as how far we'd gone to save and protect Maqi as well as him from his own wrongdoings. I managed to gather that the girls told him about my deal with the Banshee. This only caused shivers to go down my spine, because it meant that they would be having a discussion with me about said deal. And I would probably hear something along the lines of how stupid I was.

I was spared this torture for at least one day. They'd seen that I tired out easily and gave me the respite I wanted. It wasn't exactly what I needed. Again my dreams pulled me into places and moments I couldn't have possibly experienced. I saw Yua, praising me for a magic feat I'd just managed. A feat I knew I wasn't capable off as it had something to do with fog. The dreams changed and I was now sitting on my knees in front of a table. On said table was a small mountain of books and a stack of paper. A quill and inkpot stood nearby. I heard Luba tell me to copy the books. Asking which book she meant, I quickly learned she meant every book of the mountain. The dream switched to me being surrounded by Banshee. They weren't ominous, rather they seemed to enjoy themselves well while they told stories about how farmers had tried to capture them. With their honing laughter, the dream changed once more. This time I stood in a garden and Luba's merciless voice called me out, telling me I made a mistake and to start again. Being forced through what seemed like a kata was the last I remembered before waking up again.

By now I was hungry. The doctor had told me to stay in bed for at least another day, but according to my calculations, I did just that. Seeing as no one was in the room, I decided to help myself up. Walking after being out for what felt like weeks, was a challenge. My legs wobbled greatly and I needed to catch myself on the chair before falling down. Good thing I did, as I noticed that my Guardian top lay over it. With some difficulty I managed to get it on, wondering how I couldn't have noticed the lack of said garment. With it in place, I felt a little bit better. I at least found the strength to move. I managed to reach the door and as I opened it, I faced a rather surprised looking guard. I assumed he was one. He started stammering about me getting back to bed. I silenced him by placing my finger on his lips. In hindsight, that must have looked like a very drunken action, but at that moment it was the only thing my mind could come up with.

"Where are the kitchens?" I said.

The stumped guard pointed in a direction. I nodded and whispered a thank you before going in the direction he pointed out to me. It didn't take him long to gather his wits and run after me. He was sputtering again, telling me I shouldn't be up. I rolled my eyes. I was hungry. And now that I thought of it, a bathroom wouldn't be a bad idea either.

"Tell me when we're walking past a toilet room or something," I said, interrupting him.

The poor man nodded and pointed at the room I was about to bypass. I smiled at him and duck into said room. Upon returning the guard was still there, now only slightly red in the face. He shouldn't be the one embarrassed. The moment he saw me, he tried to herd me back to my room. With a bit of coaxing I managed to convince him that he could escort me to the dining room. Which was a lucky happening. Because halfway to said room I could feel my legs buckle again. He noticed and offered his shoulder as support.

With him as support, I managed to reach the dining hall. However, where I'd hoped to find it empty, I was greeted by the very concerned shouts of my friends. It was dinner time. I really hoped the doctor saw me yesterday or I would be getting a lecture about that as well. Hay Lin and Irma were the first to approach me. They took over the support from the guard, who now feverishly started his explanation as to why I was out of bed. Ari didn't seem to be too pleased, up until I apologized for the guard. After that the guard went back to his former duty and I was escorted to an empty seat. Hay Lin sat next to me and was adamant on keeping an eye on me during my dinner.

Dinner was fine too. I couldn't eat much, my stomach turned when I tried to eat more than three potato slices. But as I at least tried to eat, I was filled in on any missing information. Ari had made a contract with Kandrakar. Which was very good news for us. That meant we had something to show for in Kandrakar. The other news wasn't quite as good. I'd been in a coma for five days, with today it being the sixth day that we were in Arkhanta. And with Ari wanting to give us a feast, it meant we would be here for seven days. I really hoped our good graces with Kandrakar hadn't run out, or we would have a lot of explaining to do when we got home.

Dinner went by and I was finally escorted back to my room. Unfortunately, this was done by the girls. Meaning they were going to corner me. And how right I was.

"What were you thinking?"

I closed my eyes in mild annoyance. I sat on my bed, not yet keen on laying down. I opened my eyes and looked at Irma, who'd been the first to speak. I tried a tired smile.

"I wasn't?"

Cornelia huffed. "Clearly."

"Bullshit," Taranee said. "You can think of a way to keep the Banshee from harming Maqi or Ari or anyone else on this godforsaken planet, but you forget to safeguard yourself? I'm not buying that."

Well, I certainly pissed off some people here.

"You didn't stop me."

"How could we? You just went and made that deal, without telling us beforehand!" Taranee shouted.

Honestly, I'd hoped I would have this quarrel with Cornelia. I knew how to handle her and how to keep my increased feeling of guilt out of the way. Apparently all my luck had run out trying to save me from the poison. Taranee was a lot harder to argue with, especially when she got emotional. Not only did she make me doubt every word that came out of my mouth, but keeping my pride would mean either losing a friend or losing my eyebrows.

"I didn't know an assassin would come!" I argued in return. "I figured you guys would have gotten there way before she almost killed me!"

I said the wrong thing. While it did take the fire out of Taranee, it definitely caused the four of them to pale.

"She…what?" Irma said.

I twirled one of my longer locks of hair. While I could sense I'd turned the feeling of guilt to them, I couldn't help but feel guilty as well. It wasn't their fault that I ended up fighting Orube. I should've cornered her with my magic from the start. I really hadn't been thinking.

"What did she do?" Hay Lin asked.

I shrugged. "Doesn't really matter. We all got out of it. We're all healthy, or I will be in a few days. Point is, I made a mistake. I should've asked you guys before. I'm sorry."

I ended with my head bowed. I really hoped this would be the end of the conversation. I knew I'd been rash, but I rather took all the blame than have them blame themselves just as much. We can't carry the blame together. It doesn't work that way. The blame of my plan going wrong would have been increased fivefold if they'd all agreed on it. I rather just took it all. That way, they could live a little easier. I owed them that much, especially after making them worry for five days straight.

My apology was accepted with a group hug. It was a relief they wouldn't press the issue any more. I was glad they trusted me enough to make these mistakes. With that they left me to get my sleep. My night was filled with similar dreams as before, but I was glad it didn't take as long as it did before. I woke up in time for breakfast. The day went by without much ado. Ari was busy with preparing the feast and Hay Lin and Maqi kept me company for most of the day. Irma helped in the kitchens, Cornelia helped with decoration and Taranee hovered around, sometimes keeping an eye on me and other times she was found in the kitchens. The feast was grant and while I still had some trouble eating, I did manage to at least taste something of every dish that came by. As I looked around the hall, where people ate, talked and sang merrily, I couldn't help but think how different this could have been. I shivered at what would have happened if we'd really killed Maqi. I doubted that these people would be this ecstatic. Maybe if it was one of us dead. Though I highly doubted that would have happened. I shook my head. It was perhaps better to leave those thoughts behind. It didn't happen and it never would.

The next day wasn't filled with the cheer it had the day before. Mostly because we would be returning home. Maqi was sad to see his favourite babysitter go. We were less excited because not only did we have to file our mission report, we would also be grounded into oblivion if Kandrakar wouldn't want to help us. And at the moment I was highly doubting our chances.

After saying our goodbyes to Ari and Maqi, we left. The moment we arrived in Kandrakar, we were once again met by Halinor. The fold hadn't closed behind us or she came rushing up to us. I cringed, reading her movement as if she wanted to give me a hug. I misread. Instead she grabbed my hand and shook it firmly.

"Thank Kandrakar you're alright. I've been so worried about your recovery. Once we learned you were poisoned, I feared the worst. I wasn't certain how I could face Yan Lin if you hadn't made it. And having to face this trial so soon after Nerissa. I'm so sorry you had to go through this, Will."

Halinor blabbered on. I could only blink in surprise as a deep blush started to form on my cheeks. I never expected her to worry this much about us. She'd never struck me as the caring type. Perhaps that was because of her role in Kandrakar, but I was certainly glad someone at least cared.

Her eyes soon left me and settled upon the two new members our team had. I was uncertain as to how Kandrakar would react to the two golems. Cornelia and Taranee had made it clear to me that they wouldn't destroy their golems. I took the hint and didn't undo the creatures myself. Besides, it had been the golems who found me first and who called the girls. If anything, I owed them my life.

Halinor seemed to be enamoured by them. Especially the fire golem took her interest. She had the curtesy of first inspecting Terbis, Cornelia's golem. She touched him carefully, but he didn't move at her actions. To me it seemed as if he were inspecting her just like she was inspecting him. I could see Cornelia standing proudly next to him, as if she was waiting for some kind of praise. She did light up when Halinor muttered 'incredible'. I didn't have the heart to tell Cornelia that without me, Terbis wouldn't be standing next to her.

Once Halinor moved to Lux, Taranee's fire golem, I could see the same elation I'd seen in Taranee when we tried to create our first fire golem. Lux seemed pleased with the attention it was getting, rubbing its head in Halinor's hand. Both Hay Lin and Irma grimaced as they watched it do that. I understood why. Lux was still a creature of fire. She was essentially petting fire and I could see why that would make them uncomfortable. I knew it didn't hurt others, unless on either Taranee's or mine command, but it was still slightly frightening.

"Marvellous. And you created them?"

I blushed again, clearly hearing the praise in Halinor's words. I looked down and hunched my shoulders. A shy smile formed on my lips. I wasn't really suited for these compliments.

"It was Taranee's idea. And I couldn't have made them without either Taranee's or Cornelia's aid," I said.

"Ingenious. Taking Nerissa's initial idea of what she did with Sandpit and applying it to other elements. Have you already made a water or air gol-"

"Halinor, the Congregation is waiting."

Halinor stopped talking immediately. She straightened her back and turned around. I looked past her and saw Mira standing in the door opening of the Folding Chambers. While she was the spitting image of Yan Lin, she didn't feel the same. Yan Lin would have greeted us with a big smile and would have told us we did a great job. Mira looked almost disappointed. And impatient. However, when she looked at Hay Lin she still managed a small smile to her granddaughter. Hay Lin didn't seem to notice the strange demeanour and went to Mira for a hug. She got the hug, but it was a lot shorter than one with Yan Lin.

"Come on, you've got a lot to report about," she said, before turning around and walking away.

We all looked at Halinor. She had an eyebrow raised and was obviously mouthing the same words Mira just had said. She noticed us looking and tried to hide her childish behaviour. She gestured us to follow her. As we walked, Halinor bent towards Hay Lin.

"I prefer your grandmother over _her_ ," she whispered.

Hay Lin giggled awkwardly while I looked at Mira. She was quite ahead of us and gave no indication of having heard what Halinor had said. I wondered if she truly hadn't heard it or if she was ignoring it. Regardless, we walked on and soon we were left to walk to the middle of the Congregation Hall while Halinor and Mira took their seats among the Council.

I couldn't gauge the opinion of the Council. They were glaring at us, but that wasn't new. They weren't whispering amongst each other. They weren't oozing more disdain than usual. My eyes rested temporarily on Luba. I'd seen her in my dreams. I was almost certain those dreams had been memories. And thus, it meant that Luba knew Orube. Could it be that Orube had been sent by Luba? Then again, the memory had been from when Orube had been a child. Perhaps Luba was no longer Orube's master. I pressed my lips together before facing the Oracle. The Oracle sat on his knees, levitating a few inches like usual. He looked at us with his usual small smile. His eyes seemed even warm. Did he know we deliberately acted against his orders?

"Guardians, you have returned from your mission," the Oracle said.

I nodded, unsure how this would continue.

"Your mission was to end Maqi's suffering."

I held my breath. Now he would convey his disappointment and take our powers.

"You've cured him and even convinced Ari to ask us for an alliance. I must say, you've exceeded my expectations."

I looked surprised at him. Glancing shortly at the rest of the Council, I could see that he was the only one who seemed to think so. The disapproval I'd expected from him was radiated by the Council. I guessed they couldn't speak against the Oracle. A feeling of relief washed over me. That was one concern I could let go off.

"Please, tell us how your mission transpired."

I shared a short glance with the girls. It was clear they too were surprised by this. A few shrugs was the only reply I got from them. I turned back to the Oracle and started the story. Once I came to the part of when Cornelia closed off the throne room with me and Orube in it, I relinquished the story to Cornelia. She told their part as well as offering Orube's sword. I had known about it, and took my time to look at the Council. Maybe one would give off a hint of recognition or irritation. Instead all of them looked impassive as Cornelia finished her story. I once again spoke up, now filling them in on my side. As I spoke, I was certain to keep an eye on Luba. Her face was void of any emotion, but her ears told me her thoughts. I'd worked long enough in the pet shop to recognize what the ears of a cat convey and I could definitely read anger from her. She was not pleased with me keeping her pupil away for such a long time. When I came to the point where I described nearly blacking out by Orube's hand, murmurs started. Something akin to concern seemed to bubble up from the Council as I spoke of the light I'd noticed and grabbed. The Oracle remained unreadable throughout my whole explanation. I finished with the Banshee taking me, me biting the lip of another Banshee and going unconscious, before waking in a bed five days later.

"Two times you've encountered this strange light. A light, you say, you can only see in your mind's eye. Do you know what this was?"

I stared blankly at the Oracle. It had been creeping in my mind, the question of what it could be. But for the life of me I couldn't figure it out. A part of me wondered if I had taken their life energy, but I was also certain I should not utter that suspicion here. I rather did not want to be labelled as a second Nerissa.

"I don't know, sir," I said.

The Oracle looked at me with a piercing stare. I wondered if he believed me. It was clear the Council didn't. Whatever I'd done was apparently bad enough for them to get concerned about.

"And you say you've only noticed a short, rejuvenating effect, with an increase in your martial arts abilities. Nothing more?"

I looked him right in the eye. "No, sir."

I was lying through my teeth. I prayed that Hay Lin had the decency to keep quiet. And all I did was stare into the Oracle's eyes and try to block my mind as best as I could. I didn't want him to know about the memories. It would only spell out trouble for me. The Oracle looked at me for longer than I liked until finally, a satisfied smile formed on his lips.

"Very well, Guardians. What remains is one final question. What are your plans with these golems?"

I looked back, this time at Lux and Terbis. Taranee and Cornelia moved to them, standing protectively in front of them. The defiant looks they wore conveyed that they would fight whoever voted for having them destroyed.

"We've thought of that. You see, as those golems helped in saving my life, we thought it to be fair to let them keep their lives," I said.

"Wouldn't they be a hazard to the secret you're trying to keep?" the Oracle replied.

I nodded. "Yes, however."

I gestured at Taranee and Cornelia. Both nodded and turned to their golems. Cornelia's golem started to rumble and bits and pieces started to fall off of him. Very quickly, the golem had shrunk to the size of a lucky charm one could clip to their phone. Taranee had pulled out a small, glass-made container which was hanging from a necklace. The container was open from the bottom, but it looked as if it was closed when one observed it. It had been a gift from Ari when we'd been thinking of a way to keep the fire golem alive and with us. Lux shrunk to the size of a match's flame and dove into the container. Taranee fastened the necklace around her neck. It now looked like a harmless, light giving necklace, as long as Lux remained rolled up. I looked back at the Oracle as Cornelia picked up her golem.

"I believe this should do."

The Oracle smiled. I could see a twinkle in his eyes.

"That should do, Guardian. That should do indeed."

He looked one time into the Council. They'd gone back to silence and as I too stole a glance, I could still see them being unhappy with our predicament. The Oracle opened his arms wide.

"You've done an outstanding job, Guardians. Kandrakar wishes to thank you," he said.

I looked at the girls. While we'd liked some gratefulness, a present wasn't something we had expected. The Oracle waved his hand and a fold appeared.

"This will lead you back to Earth, approximately ten minutes after you left it, seven days ago."

The looks on our faces must have conveyed our surprise. The Oracle chuckled softly.

"See it as our thanks. Not only for calming the situation on Arkhanta, but also for saving Meridian from Phobos and the universe from Cedric. You were right, after all. A little gratefulness is never wrong."

Taranee blushed as the Oracle directed the last part of his explanation towards her. She merely nodded. I bowed to the Oracle, feeling happier than when we arrived here.

"We thank Kandrakar for this gift," I said.

I was glad we didn't have to bargain for it. And that all our worries about getting grounded were for naught. I ended my bow and grinned broadly at the others. They replied in kind. I undid our transformation and we went through the fold.

We arrived at the Silver Dragon basement. Despite everything, I still checked my phone. I'd learned it would automatically change the day and date to the planet we were on. The first time I realized it was when we went to Meridian and I checked to see how long we had before we had to return. It turned out that Meridian is two hours ahead of Heatherfield. It had been a surprise to say the least. My phone screen flashed and on it I could read the day we left, along with 17.09. I deep sigh left me. We really returned on the day we left.

"Will, you might want to glamour your lips. They're still green."

I looked shortly at Cornelia. She held up a pocket mirror and I could indeed see the sick green colour my lips had from the poison. I frowned and focussed my magic. Glamouring wasn't one of the things I was particularly good at, but just my lips were luckily still doable. Just as the green ring past my lips, the basement door flung open.

"Girls! You're back from Meridian so soon? I told your father you wouldn't be home till six."

Hay Lin crowed in delight as she flung herself at Yan Lin, who'd barely descended the stairs. Once again our story was repeated, this time mostly by Hay Lin. I had chosen to remain seated in the couch, feeling more drained than before. When Hay Lin explained about the poisoning, Yan Lin interrupted her temporarily. She asked me to drop the glamour and checked my lips. She disappeared upstairs and returned with tea and cookies. She also gave me a small box of tea that would help me get better. Apparently my quick recovery had been due to my Guardian form and it would take a lot longer for me to heal in human form. The tea would help me to stay on my feet. I could only thank the old woman as Hay Lin resumed her story.

Yan Lin made a face when Mira was mentioned and she sighed deeply when hearing about her Altermere's antics. Finally Hay Lin finished before nearly whipping around and turning to me. The tea had given me some energy back and I looked almost guiltily at her as she looked at me with accusation written all over her face.

"You lied. I haven't heard you lie in a while now, but that had been a lie," she said.

I hunched my shoulders. The others all chimed in, asking what exactly had been my lie. I bit my lips as I nodded slowly.

"I did. I…Rather not want to have Kandrakar on my back about it."

"Can someone tell me _what_ you lied about?" Irma said.

"About her not noticing anything else from that light blob she siphoned energy off," Hay Lin replied, almost impatiently. Her eyes were wide and she closed in on me, clearly curious.

"You mean, you did notice something else?" Cornelia said.

"Something you want to keep hidden from Kandrakar?" Taranee added.

I nodded and stared into my nearly empty cup. It wasn't fair to keep it hidden from them. Though, admittedly, I wouldn't have told them if Hay Lin hadn't picked up on my lie. I placed the cup in front of me and pulled up my legs. I placed my head on my knees and looked almost remorseful at the others.

"I…I think I took a part of their memories. Of Orube and the Banshee," I finally admitted.

They looked blankly at me. I couldn't discern what they were thinking. Even Yan Lin remained silent as they all let the words sink in. I felt my cheeks burn in shame. Ever since I fully realized what those dreams had been, I couldn't help but compare myself to Nerissa. This seemed like something she would do. In a way, this was worse than Taranee's mindreading. She would only listen in. I think I actually stole the memories.

Yan Lin sat down, concern now creeping over her aging visage. That concern was mirrored by the others. They hadn't taken a step back yet, but the way they eyed me, told me they were considering it. It hurt to see them look at me like that. I closed my eyes and let my head hang. This was the reason I rather stayed quiet. But with Hay Lin being a living lie-detector, I could never talk myself out of it.

"But…I mean, you only did it cause you were low on energy, right? Orube was strangling you. She could have killed you if you hadn't…"

I looked up, grateful to see Irma produce reasons as to why I did it. She looked for help towards the others, who seemed inclined to agree with her. Hay Lin was nodding vigorously. Cornelia smiled, as if she were agreeing with what was being said. Taranee readjusted her glasses and flashed me an encouraging smile.

"It's not like you do this every time. This was a first. And your powers are by far the most mysterious of all. I mean, you control Quintessence. But Quintessence is also life energy. Does that mean you could – in theory of course – control all life? I think that would make you as a Guardian too overpowered. Even if Kandrakar regulates our powers, yours would still be way too overpowered. Perhaps what you did was some kind of survival instinct. Like, who knows what could have happened if one of us had been in your situation? Maybe Irma would have drained Orube from all the moisture she possessed, just to stop her from strangling. Hay Lin might cause vacuums or too much oxygen. I might combust. We don't know what we would do during such a moment. So you siphon off some memories to regain some energy to free yourself. That's good to know."

I smiled fondly at Taranee's deduction. It made me feel better about what had transpired. I had never meant to do such a thing to anyone. But in that moment it had felt like it was the only right thing to do. It had been that or death. And I considered myself too young to die.

"Astute deduction. But, may I ask, what do you think I would do in such a case?" Cornelia said, turning around and facing Taranee.

Taranee shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe plants would burst out and try to free you? Or the floor could crack open and…No. That could cause you to fall in as well….. Maybe, if we look at it scientifically, you might do something with the carbon in humans? But I mean, that's a stretch. I've never seen you even produce gems. And humans possess a lot less carbon than that. We're talking really advanced stuff here. Then again…With Will pulling on memories…."

Taranee started to rattle off everything she could think of. Cornelia injected sometimes and within no time were the two discussing the possibility of Cornelia creating her own gems. This certainly caught the blonde's attention as her eyes sparkled at the idea. Irma was quick with a snarky reply while Hay Lin crowed in delight at the prospect of using gems in future clothing she would design. As I watched this, my heart calmed down. My shame trickled away and all I could do was smile fondly at them. They didn't make a great deal out of it. They just accepted it as a part of my powers. They didn't even once play with the idea I did it on purpose. However, as the playful display went on, I noticed a set of eyes eyeing me with worry. Yan Lin hadn't said a word since I explained my lie. Concern was still etched in her age-old face. Worry filled me as she continued to watch me. Doubts started to crowd my mind. She had seen more in her years as a Guardian. Did she know more? Or did she see Nerissa's shadow within me? I didn't dare to ask and turned my head away.

We spend the rest of the day doing our homework and watching a movie. We'd gone to my place and ordered pizza's. My mom wouldn't be home till late, which meant I would have been alone anyway. The girls didn't pick up the subject of my memory theft and I was grateful for the distraction. We further discussed how we should continue with our training. Irma had been the first to call for a vacation until I was capable of practicing again. I shut that down. After my fight with Orube I realized how important our training was. And I was not going to allow them to avoid it. Especially not when there was a chance that our group could split up. Training would become a lot more difficult then. We decided that the issue of Redstone would be postponed until it was necessary. For now our current training schedule was problematic. I couldn't join in. I wanted to – despite the doctor's orders – but the others shut me down. There were a few threats and curses. My sanity was also questioned. And thus, I agreed about staying out of the training until my lips were normal again.

Back on topic, the girls did complain about how boring our Guardian training had become. They all knew to what extend they could use their powers and it was becoming dull. I asked them for any ideas to spice things up. I was answered with a few irritated frowns and complains that it was not their job to think of a training regime. I rolled my eyes, but before I could even begin to explain that it was a group effort, Hay Lin came up with an excellent idea. She proposed a capture the flag idea, with two against two. As I was not allowed to join in, due to the poisoning, it would be a great practice to see how they did in battle in case I could not support them. I was certainly impressed and I wasn't the only one. Hay Lin blushed proudly. I made a note of it in a handbook I'd recently purchased. Taranee's idea of keeping a book with notes was not a bad idea.

We couldn't flesh it out as my mother came home around the same time. We decided to meet up after school the next day, where we would leave for Meridian and share the idea with Elyon. After all, we needed a place to do this.

And so we endured yet another day of school. I couldn't say I was glad to be back. I hadn't taken much notice of it before, but I realized that when I was in Guardian form, I barely felt the effects of the poison. As a human, my energy drained quickly. This resulted in me falling asleep during our third period. If it hadn't been for Cornelia waking me up in time, I would've had yet another call to my mom's office about my bad habits. The tea Mrs. Lin had given me gave me some energy, but it wasn't exactly my favourite flavour. I had to endure, I supposed.

The day ended with the announcement that the scores of the test were posted on the notice board. I felt no need to push through the throng of people to see if I could go to Redstone. Many drooped off, disappointed. As Cornelia and I slowly progressed forward, we were blocked by the Grumper sisters. Bess and Courtney both had the gossip ability that would bring many paparazzi to shame, but I often questioned their intelligence. Especially when you knew how they blackmailed many kids to do their homework or to help them cheat during tests. To see them sneer at us, only brought my hopes up.

"Why do you even bother to go and look? Aren't your grades on par with Uriah?" Bess said.

She gave a dismissive wave to the lanky orange haired boy, who was slowly bullying his way through the crowd. Flanking him were his two gorilla-like cronies, Kurt and Clubber. I rolled my eyes but remained silent. I knew better than to bite at one of their barbs.

"Don't tell me you two got into Redstone," Cornelia said.

I smirked at the blatant disbelief that oozed from her words. Even despite their victorious disposition, the twins grimaced at Cornelia's words. They've had a feud long before I arrived in Heatherfield and I was glad Cornelia knew how to handle them. I had yet to see a day where they bested her, though I've already had to face many devious tactics of the two. They were walking, talking nightmares if you didn't know how to carry yourself. And in a school filled with insecure teens, they could easily reign. I glanced up at Cornelia, who's nose was lifted slightly. Her lips were drawn into a thin line and a condescending eyebrow was raised. They would have reigned if they didn't have to fight Cornelia for the top spot.

"Check it yourself, _princess_. You'll find that the two of us will be going to the prestigious Redstone Academy."

I really disliked the predatory grin the two were wearing. I never knew what lured them to try and pick on me, or any other student for that matter. I was about as interesting as a wiped clean white board. Both flicked their hair, not quite having the same effect as when Cornelia did.

"Okay Bess, who'd you bribe this time? Or did you ask your mom to call in a favour or two?"

I looked up surprised, seeing Irma coming up from behind the twins. Taranee and Hay Lin soon followed. By what I could make out, Hay Lin was elated while Taranee seemed to have mixed feelings. I was going to guess both made the cut-off. And by Irma's extremely annoyed look, I was guessing she didn't.

Bess turned around, snorting at the sight of Irma.

"Please, _I_ don't have to suck up to a nerd to get even an average score on my tests. Unlike you, Lair," she said.

Irma crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "We all know that you and Courtney only possess one brain, which you obviously have to share. You two going to Redstone should have been as impossible as Uriah and his goons joining that trip. And we all know his mental capabilities."

Courtney now joined her sister, effectively turning her back to Cornelia and me as well. She placed an arm around her sister and hugged her a little bit, as if to tell her to stay silent. I could just sense how much the two were enjoying Irma's bitterness.

"That's for us to know, Lair. Now, if you don't mind. _We_ have to tell our parents the good news. That we're not failures. Like you," Courtney said.

With that, both let out a hideous loud laugh, false and fake at the same time. They stalked off, leaving a seething Irma behind. Hay Lin petted her on the back, smiling brightly as if the encounter never happened. Irma just closed her eyes and breathed heavily, muttering some things I couldn't quite make out. Hay Lin's reaction to it made me deduce that she was contemplating of cursing the twins with a persistent raincloud. I was glad Hay Lin convinced her otherwise.

"Don't worry," she said. "We'll be there to keep an eye on them and to keep them from having too much fun."

Irma smirked a bit in response. I was about to ask whether they'd seen our scores as well, when another obnoxious voice called out.

"What's that Lair? Got some problem with me?"

Irma sighed deeply. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I too turned to our next encounter. Uriah moved towards us, pushing others out of the way. One kid, three years younger than me, even fell to the ground. I frowned at Uriah and his goons. I really didn't want to deal with this today. I groaned softly when Hay Lin fanned the flames even more.

"She's got no problem. No problem at all. She's just lamenting that it's a shame you're a bubble brain. Nothing more."

Uriah snarled at Hay Lin, while his two lackeys were still processing the insult. Students around us were leaving, either because they could sense a fight incoming, or because they'd checked the board and wanted to go home. I was left becoming acutely aware of how unprotected we were by the rest of the student body. I bit my lip. Fighting was absolutely not on my list of things to do today. I just wanted to go to Meridian and take a nap after our talk with Elyon. Apparently that was too much to ask.

"If you're looking for trouble, you either talk to me or take a hike, Uriah," Irma said.

Mentally I thanked Irma for not using her mind suggestion powers on Uriah. She was understanding the situation better than I'd hoped. Though I wished she would just ignore him. Was it her time of the month already?

"Shut it, Lair. I'll get you after your little friend," Uriah barked before turning to Hay Lin. "You're going to apologize for what you called me, squint eye."

I grimaced. Uriah was not above the use of racial slurs, but I generally disliked the use of them. I'd almost say I was disappointed that he didn't prove me wrong. Hay Lin, however, didn't bat an eye at the use of the term. Instead she smiled at him, as brightly as before. Her eyes twinkled as she made her most innocent face.

"I have to apologize for saying bubble brain?" she asked as innocent as possible.

Uriah growled. "Don't say that again! I don't want to hear you say that word!"

I couldn't help but grin as Hay Lin stood still, taking his yelling as if it were nothing. With her increased hearing, I figured it must've hurt somewhat. Instead she just cocked her head and placed a finger on her chin, looking even more confused and innocent than before.

"What word?" she said and I sighed. She was just going to make things worse. "Bubble brain? Well, bubble brain technically consists out of two words, but okay. If it bothers you, I won't say bubble brain anymore."

I hid a smile as Uriah started to become as red as his hair. Even Irma and Taranee were smirking as the older boy was getting played by Hay Lin. Hay Lin was not done yet.

"But tell me. If I can be squint eye, why can't you be bubble brain?"

Uriah's voice went up a few octaves as he was now yelling through the otherwise empty hallway. One straggler realized that the situation was getting out of hand and made a run for it, leaving his locker open.

"You're doing this on purpose! You're trying to make fun of me!" Uriah said.

"Took him long enough to realize that," Cornelia whispered to me, to which I chuckled.

Both Kurt and Clubber looked rather lost at their enraged leader. Neither seemed to be fully aware of how Uriah was being played, or perhaps their brains were still in the middle of processing the insults. I didn't know how their brains worked, though I was certain it wasn't quick.

"You know what? You can clown about in your own personal space. Put her in that locker!"

Uriah was done with the verbal tussle. I never understood why he always tried it anyway, even though he knew he would lose. Maybe he enjoyed getting toyed with. But now Kurt was moving according to his orders. Hay Lin paled as the large boy came closer. She inched towards the open locker. I had to step in, or else I would have to witness Hay Lin getting acquainted with someone else's locker.

"No!"

I was taken aback by Taranee's sudden eruption. She slammed the locker closed and for a sliver of a moment, I saw a red hand print on the iron. Her glasses reflected an unseen fire and I feared Uriah was pushing his luck too much. I did not want to risk our identity being outed, just because a bully got the best of our emotions. Kurt halted, obviously surprised by Taranee's explosion.

"You can't just do whatever you want, just because there are no teachers around! Get out of here now, or I'll tell the principal."

So far for me getting concerned that our powers would leak out. Despite Taranee obviously losing her cool, she still managed to threaten with the principal, rather than giving him a taste of her powers. I was glad she was a goody-two shoes. And I was glad she was the one who exploded. If it had been Irma or Cornelia, Uriah would long been drenched or pushed into a locker himself.

"Good thing you decided to stay calm," Irma muttered as she tried to calm Taranee down.

"Ooooh. I'm scared now. Should we leave, guys?"

Uriah's sarcasm was heavy. I wouldn't be surprised if there was another racial slur waiting to be released. He was obviously not afraid of what we could do to him. In all honesty, it was perhaps better he didn't. That meant our secret was still safe. But man, did I wish he knew we could destroy him in seconds if we wished to.

"If I were you, I'd take her advice," I said, fed up with this useless game. I really wanted to go home.

"And quick too," Cornelia added.

Uriah smirked at us, looking as if he'd noticed us just now. His eyes darted from us to the wall. I followed his line of sight and found an extinguishers hanging there. I wondered if he really would be as stupid as to go for that.

"It looks like tempers are flaring up!" he said. I groaned internally as he indeed moved for the fire extinguisher. "I think this calls for an extinguisher!"

With that he grabbed the thing, even before we could react. Within seconds he'd released the safety pin and foam was blowing out of the nuzzle.

"You idiot!" Cornelia cursed. "I'm going to…"

I managed to grab her shoulder before she even finished that thought. "Secret. Identity," I hissed.

"Then what?" she hissed in return.

There was only one option.

"Run!"

I grabbed Cornelia's wrist and pulled her along, signalling the others to follow us. It didn't take long or Uriah and his goons were following us as well.

"You didn't happen to catch our names on the board, did you?" Cornelia huffed while running.

"You're in, along with Hay and Taranee. Will and I stay here," Irma answered.

This news didn't surprise me a lot. I figured something like this had been the case, going on the reactions of the Grumpers. It didn't deter me from finding a way to safety. As we ran, I looked for possible exits. There were no students to block our way and I wasn't going to keep this up for long. My eyes finally rested upon the janitor's closet. As I ran to open it, I briefly caught a glimpse of professor Sylla turning the corner at the end of the hallway. He was coming our way, but I wasn't going to risk it. He didn't seem to have noticed me, or the others. I closed the closet behind us, just when Clubber came from the hallway we left.

We were jammed inside of the closet, with brooms and mops leaning heavily on us. Irma was the first to comment.

"You've had better ideas, Will. What do we do now?"

I fiddled with the necklace. I wanted to make as less sound as possible. I gave Irma a sideways glare, shutting her up, before slashing in the air. A fold appeared through which a few brooms fell.

"In!" I hissed, making a mental note to throw them back before closing the fold.

The girls didn't hesitate and they all moved in as quickly as possible. I jumped in last and threw the wayward brooms back in before closing them. I was certain they made a lot of noise and I hoped no one was passing by. And if so, I hoped they thought it was a big rat or mouse knocking things down.

Those troubles quickly left me as we were greeted by a very surprised looking Elyon, Caleb and Lyonak. I was all but happy to see the latter and by the way he looked at us, the feeling was mutual. It must have been a rather amusing sight. Us tumbling through the fold, following a set of brooms which I rapidly throw back before closing the fold behind us. We all stood awkwardly, looking from Elyon and Caleb, to our least favourite member of the Meridian and Kandrakarian Council.

"We…Uhm… We'll wait outside," I said, pointing at the doors.

Elyon blinked a few more times, before a grin settled on her lips. She snickered softly behind her hand before shaking her head.

"No, don't worry. We were wrapping up here anyway, weren't we, sir Lyonak?"

Elyon faced the man, who obviously thought otherwise. He seemed eager to express that opinion as well, but never seemed to be able to utter it. Elyon gestured for him to leave and I admired her doing it with such dignity and blatant display of how little she cared for his complains. I hid a grin as he stormed off, huffing indignantly.

"He's muttering that this is not over," Hay Lin said once the doors slammed shut.

Elyon merely smiled and went to hug us.

"He's grumpy about something. Leave him be. I'm more interested in what you guys did. You left only yesterday! Was your mission that easy?"

We all grinned awkwardly at Elyon. She could easily read our faces and thus, our third retelling of our mission followed. We did change some details, as to why we were sent to Arkhanta in the first place and me stealing other people's memories. In the end, both Elyon and Caleb looked pale at me. Caleb was probably thinking something along the lines of how crazy I was and Elyon looked as if she was wondering how it was possible I lived this long. I only hunched my shoulders and tried to smile their worries away. A few strings of hair were twirled in between my fingers before I finally decided that our silence had taken long enough. And I wasn't in any mood to go into details.

"So…About why we actually came here. We've got a favour to ask."

It seemed to me that Elyon was still trying to process what we've told her. She only nodded for me to continue.

"We've been thinking about a way to up our Guardian training, if you will? But we would need some space for it. We want to do a sort of capture the flag and we rather not drag your soldiers into it."

It took a moment for Elyon to register what I've said. It took a while longer to fully explain how and why we wanted this. I was grateful that Caleb soon saw the virtues of using such a simple game to practice, claiming it would also work for the soldiers. It took some convincing, but in the end Elyon agreed. We were given a few conditions. We had to build an arena for it, to avoid the fights from moving out to the village or the castle. When we were practicing, at least one had to cover the arena with a shield, to ensure that nothing bad happened if we got too excited. And we had to clean up after every practice round. That way the soldiers could use it as well, just like Caleb suggested.

With that decided, Elyon was kind enough to appoint us a place where we could start. The rest of the day went by with the girls, Elyon and Caleb bickering about how the arena should look like. All I did was transform everyone and sit back, taking a moment to myself and breathing a little easier. We did manage to settle for a standard shape of the arena, the needed benches and balconies and Irma got her fountains. All would be worked on the next time we came. Elyon would make sure that the general outline would be clear and that everyone would be alerted to the new addition to their training regime.

As we returned to Heatherfield, we quickly said our goodbyes and returned home. Upon my return, I had to face Collins, who'd decided to join us at dinner. I didn't need his mothering over me along with my mom's. I was surprised he was the one to grant me some space. When my mom was trying to get answers out of me, Collins tried to stop her. It was curious to see and definitely fun to watch. And when he decided to clean up along with my mother, I couldn't help but flash him a smile. Perhaps having him around wasn't as bad as I initially thought.

That night I slept in my own bed, never being so happy to just lay down and rest.

 _ **[A/N] Another chapter! Sorry for the long wait and I hope you all enjoy it!**_


	11. Chapter 11 Our time together

**Chapter 11 Our time together**

Days turned into weeks. I was growing impatient at the rate that I was healing from the poison. It had been fun the first time, where I only had to watch how the girls created the arena for capture the flag and how they got their lessons from Caleb. But I quickly grew bored. I wasn't allowed to train as a Guardian, I wasn't allowed to practice my swimming and even during P.E. Cornelia would make sure I wasn't overexerting myself. Granted, I was still easily winded, but I really disliked being mothered. Sitting still was also never my virtue.

Nevertheless, I obeyed. I knew they had suffered about as much as I had when I was knocked out by the poison. I was surprised they forgave me for it. Perhaps they used my time-out as a way to silently punish me for my crazy idea. Arguing about it wouldn't help. They were backed by the doctor's orders and so, I remained silent.

The arena was built the next day. I hadn't wanted to return to Meridian so quickly – we've been there three days in a row according to them – but once we heard that we had a total of three weeks, not counting this one, before the trip to Redstone, I felt we didn't have a choice. I wanted to see this plan work before three of us left. Our training would probably be cut short for the weeks that they were there. Redstone was after all at the other side of the country, creating a big enough time-gap that training would be difficult. And neither Irma nor I were looking forward to waking up really early to practice.

Our first capture the flag training happened a week later. With my stubborn green lips, I sat on one of the balconies, keeping my notebook open and a pen ready. We decided that I should make the teams. We also set a few rules. The flag had to be visible at all times, teletransportation to the opponent's flag was forbidden, they were not allowed to use their power to simply take the flag – as this would give Cornelia an unfair advantage – and they were not allowed to listen in on the other team's telepathy. Other than that, they could go all out. And, in the spur of the moment, I decided to give them a little initiative. The person who lost most of the fights, could end up as my martial arts training partner. I was certain they should handle my hits when in Guardian form, but it was obvious none of them seemed to be looking forward to that. I also wasn't really planning on doing that. But it was a good thing to see them motivated to win.

The first battle was Hay Lin and Taranee versus Irma and Cornelia. A terribly combination, the latter two, but they would have to pair up one time. And I thought putting them together for the first try was perhaps a good idea. It came as no surprise that Hay Lin and Taranee would win. I hadn't doubted that Taranee would possibly be the better strategist out of the four of them, which was obvious as the fight progressed. She used Irma and Cornelia's rivalry to her advantage, along with Hay Lin's speed and mobility. Irma and Cornelia, despite them promising each other to work together, spent most of the time bickering and complaining about the other's lack of concentration. When the realization struck that they were close to losing, they got over their differences and tried a last minute effort to get the other flag. It was then Taranee's flaw popped up. Hay Lin, who had been racing for the flag, decided it was better to aid Taranee in her defence. Taranee panicked as her plan fell to parts and was prone to getting irritated. It took her a fire wall to keep Irma off and a loud shout to get Hay Lin to turn around. With a surprise gust and some invisibility did she manage to get past Cornelia, who chose the wrong moment to edge Irma on. And thus the first battle ended with a victory for Taranee and Hay Lin.

I made sure to write down what kind of tactics they used, along with whatever strengths and weaknesses I would find. It was good way for me to keep track of these things when we would face another mission. It wasn't exactly a fun recap for the girls. I relayed my observations, but they weren't all too happy with me pointing at their shortcomings. As I mentioned the positive things, I had an inkling of a feeling they were repressing my mentioning of their shortcomings. Oh well, I wasn't going to forget them. I just had to wait.

The second match was Taranee and Irma versus Hay Lin and Cornelia. This, I almost thought would be an unfair combination. By all means, Hay Lin and Cornelia should have won this. Cornelia could mount a nearly perfect defence while Hay Lin could work on a relentless offense. I was proven wrong. As I observed before, Taranee liked to use Irma's relationship with Cornelia to her advantage. She did so this time again. Only this time, Irma enjoyed the plan. Cornelia and Hay Lin had started out like I'd expected. A great defence and preparing for the offense. Instead of Irma defending, she took the field. Taranee heated the area around the flag enough for Hay Lin to keep at bay. And all Irma had to do was taunt Cornelia. Cornelia did seem to have learnt something from her previous match, but the moment Irma started to question the perfection of Cornelia's defence, a cord was struck. And another mud sling contest ensued. I believed I was looking at a stalemate, when Hay Lin showed an extraordinary moment of clarity. Unfair of me to say it like that, but it surprised me. She stopped her attack, knowing full well she wasn't getting anywhere with Taranee heating the air she used. Instead she made her way to Cornelia and they switched. Without any conversation or discussion. I had to guess it had occurred through telepathy. Hay Lin did know how to calm Cornelia. Irma wasn't done with Cornelia and abandoned her attack on the flag. She stopped halfway, glaring darkly at Taranee, before resuming her attack. Cornelia could breach Taranee's fire with ease, but so could Irma do with Hay Lin's air. Hay Lin was pelted by the ice she helped create – a clever move by Irma – while Taranee could only burn away the plants but had to duck for the rocks.

This fight ended in a draw. I learnt that both Hay Lin as well as Irma had tactical insight while Cornelia was quite a problem once provoked. However, she could also quickly regain her composure and focus on the task at hand. The latter I knew, though sometimes felt she made it extra difficult for me just because she could. I also learnt later on that Taranee had quite a colourful language. She and Irma had had a telepathic argument when Irma left her post. An argument that had been pretty heated by the way the two acted afterwards. It took a full week to get the two to act normal again. Before that, they would glare at each other. If a word passed between them, it would be a spiteful remark. Good to know that fire and water didn't mix that well.

The third match was at the start of the last week we had together. My birthday would be on Friday. For that sole reason I got many, many request of doing the practice on Monday. I had a foreboding feeling that yet another party was being planned, but I was at a stage where I could no longer complain. And thus, the final match happened.

Cornelia and Taranee, versus Irma and Hay Lin. This match was a beautiful example how careful planning could ruin any endeavour. Taranee had talked to me about a potential strategy, one she had fleshed out with Cornelia. Cornelia would defend, Taranee would attack. While keeping Irma or Hay Lin distracted – it didn't matter which one would defend – Cornelia would use a vine and sneak the flag away. It was a good plan, but I kept my lips sealed. There were some glaring holes in the plan. And all of them came to play during the fight. Arrogance was a flaw of both Taranee and Cornelia. They were certain of their victory and thus, heavily underestimated Hay Lin and Irma. These two were aware of this and used it to their advantage.

Hay Lin stood guard, Irma attacked. So far, Taranee's and Cornelia's plan seemed to work. What was quite an interesting first attack was the creation of rainclouds by Irma. It seemed harmless and a minor irritation to Taranee, but I watched from above and could see the reasoning behind it. Not only could Irma pull water from anywhere on the field, Hay Lin could freeze it at any given time. Beginning with freezing the ground around the flag under the cover of her air wall defence. It was done stealthily and in great harmony. I knew those two were quite an undefeatable team, something they would proof to Cornelia and Taranee. Taranee found herself stopped by Hay Lin. Much like the previous fight, they couldn't break through each other's defence. Irma was at Cornelia's door. Water wasn't really effective against the plants, Irma had to cut through them. The rocks weren't a challenge, as her water jets packed enough punch. The moment Irma was enwrapped in vines, it was clear that Cornelia believed they'd won. Taunting ensued, but due to that, her own defence dropped. Just like the two had been waiting for. On Irma's cue, Hay Lin created a large vortex, blowing Taranee away. With a speed only she could achieve did she arrive at Irma's side, using the winds she rode to freeze the water that clung to Cornelia. Cornelia froze over and Hay Lin had taken the flag before Taranee could even react.

As I'd watched these fights, I noticed they were using their Guardian powers primarily. Now I knew we were new to things like glamouring and teletransporting, but I felt like those tricks could have been used just as easily. Especially seeing how teletransportation was even mentioned in the rules. I wondered if they thought about it.

Anyway, the arena had been quite a success. People came to watch after the first fight and soon it became rather packed. There was even a disappointment when we announced we wouldn't be practicing for a few weeks. The soldiers made good use of the arena as well. Often we found some leftover weapons in the ring. We learnt this when Cornelia had picked up one of them through telekinesis and nearly pinned Irma against the wall. Dangerous things. About that. Broken bones, burns, frostbite, hyperventilation and different kinds of plant poisoning were results of the battles. Which caused Cornelia to heal quite a lot every single time. I had to aid her, as she did not possess the energy to heal everyone after a training. Meaning both of us were drained, and I didn't even fight!

But the days were slowly crawling forward. The school was readying itself for the departure of about 20 students. I was readying myself for my birthday, which crawled closer and closer. It would be the last day before Cornelia, Taranee and Hay Lin would leave for Redstone. And as the girls tended to go silent when I came closer, I was mentally preparing for yet another party I did not particularly want. This mental preparation was interrupted when we got a call from Kandrakar. It was Wednesday. The final bell had just rang. My hands were already on the steer of my bike when the necklace started to buzz. I quickly covered it with my hand, let out a telepathic message and within a few minutes we arrived at Kandrakar.

Halinor was there to greet us, as per usual. She didn't seem to be too bothered, so I guessed we weren't in trouble. We didn't say a lot. She merely greeted us, bid us to transform and lead us to the Congregation Hall. There we were met by the thousands of frowning faces. The sentiment of dislike was still heavy within the room and I could say the feeling was mutual. If it weren't for Meridian, Elyon, Caleb and the idea that we actually did some good, I would have left this job long ago.

"Guardians, thank you for coming."

I bowed to the Oracle. I was certain Irma was trying to bite back the same remark that rang through my head. Like we had a choice. The Oracle smiled at me, as if he knew what I was thinking.

"We have asked you here to help a friend of yours fulfil a contract with us."

It took me a moment to figure out what he was talking about. I first was afraid Matt had made some promise he'd forgotten to tell me. But then Elyon came to mind.

"We want you to collect the Prince Phobos and Lord Cedric. Their trial will commence soon and as per ritual, they will have their time to think over their sins in the Tower of Mists."

I cocked an eyebrow. I'd never heard of this Tower. The Oracle had gestured to a particular building you could just make out from the window. I believed Nerissa had half destroyed it during her first attack. Now it stood as pristine as the rest of the fortress. I wondered why Kandrakar had a prison. It was certainly not to lock away any inhabitants of this realm. Maybe we were supposed to deliver every villain here? I didn't bother to question the Oracle. The order was easy. It was about time those two got a proper sentence.

We bowed, as I acknowledged the order. With that, a fold opened next to us and we found ourselves once again in the familiar interior of the throne room of the Meridian palace. Elyon wasn't in her throne, but instead looking over multiple papers on the table, with Raythor, Julian, Lyonak and her adoptive parents around her. I reckoned that Caleb and his crew were with the soldiers.

Our arrival caused them to look up. Whereas Elyon was usually happy to see us, she this time did not approach us with a smile and a hug. We never arrived in Guardian wear. If we did, there was only one reason. We meant business. Maybe also because Lyonak was standing close by – when did that guy visit Kandrakar anyway? – she bowed to us.

"Guardians, it is an honour to receive you. May I ask what the reason is of your visit?"

It was incredibly stiff and I was certain that if Lyonak wasn't near, she would have ran up to us and showed more emotion. Now I just had to give Irma a short and clear glare to keep her from laughing out loud. Cornelia spoke up, taking a step forward as she did.

"We've come to collect your brother and his advisor, as per agreement with Kandrakar."

As she spoke, I could see her glare foully at Lyonak. The man seemed to be pleased with this formal encounter and I was certain he was muttering praise to Elyon. Elyon in her own right ignored the man completely. She nodded and turned to Raythor.

"Raythor, would you be so kind as to aid the Guardians? I have other matters to discuss."

The way she said the latter sounded so forced, even I had to hide a smirk. I coughed and hid it behind my hand. Lyonak didn't seem to approve, but I doubted he approved us anyway. Raythor bowed to his Queen, before leading us away from the room. When we were certain we were out of reach, Irma burst into laughter.

"My apologies. The Queen cannot afford to disrespect courtesy with that stick in the mud around," Raythor said as he walked us to the entrance. "She already got one warning for 'skirting her duties in favour of personal affects'. You should've seen her when Lyonak presented the warning. I was certain she would shoot him through the roof. Lost a good bit of coin on that wager."

I snorted, whereas Cornelia reacted in outrage. Somewhere, I understood Kandrakar's asinine jurisdictions. They would aid Elyon further down the road of being a Queen. But they were quite ridiculous if you knew that she was only strengthening her bonds with us, which was almost the same as strengthening bonds with Kandrakar. Even so, I wasn't going to argue. Cornelia would do that for me, along with Irma ridiculing how bizarre the whole situation was.

At the entrance of the palace, we teletransported, leaving Raythor behind. Mostly because I didn't want to hear Cornelia list off all the reasons as to why Kandrakar was treating Elyon unfairly. Another part wanted me to spare Raythor from a ride. The guy was old and his escape from the hole I first kicked him in, followed by his service to Nerissa and imprisonment afterwards, hadn't been good for his health. I wanted to spare him a little. As an apology for framing him.

We arrived and found Vathek keeping watch.

"Guardians! What are you doing here?" he asked.

"We've come to collect Phobos and Cedric, Vathek," I said.

He nodded grimly at us. He opened the gates to the prison and we were guided through the Infinite City. We arrived swiftly at what once was the Mage's quarters. To think we were tricked by Nerissa for so long still gave me shivers.

We moved through the waterfall, once again arriving in the prison constructed closely after the first fall of Phobos. And up in one of the highest chambers, were the two prisoners we came to collect. Phobos was the first to notice us. He sat near the bars of his prison, looking down lazily. An arrogant smile formed on his lips.

"Guardians! What an honour. Tell me, is my sister once again a prisoner of an evil hag?"

Cornelia muttered a few curses under her breath. Irma didn't let the insult slide.

"What? You expect us to help you again, after you got eaten by him?" she said, pointing at Cedric in the adjacent cell.

This certainly diminished the fun Phobos seemed to have in ridiculing his sister. He frowned and raised his nose, but said nothing. Cedric hissed quietly, as if laughing.

I looked around the prison, feeling slightly uneasy. There was a sense of fear lingering around which I couldn't fully understand. Multiple Lurdens had backed away when they'd seen us, hiding in the darkness of their cells. I felt bad for them, in a way. They seemed to be nothing more than bipedal animals. Simple minds for simple creatures. And usually following the strongest tended to give good results. Now they were stuck here.

I moved my gaze from the Lurdens to the two other occupants aside from the ones we came to pick up. Frost was pacing in his cell, grunting occasionally and not giving us even a moment of his time. Miranda, who was separated from Cedric, eyed us wearily. I still didn't fully understand how she could develop a relationship with Cedric, but it was perhaps not one I wanted to delve into. She moved back into the shadows once she saw me look.

I nodded at the girls and flew up. We hovered in front of Phobos' cell. The man looked at me with a lazy kind of interest. One of his blond eyebrows was lifted and his arrogant smirk curled his lips.

"Phobos, we've come to collect you and Cedric in the name of Kandrakar. You will be judged there," I said.

The words I spoke had an immediate effect on him. His eyes widened and his smirk fell. It was obvious he had not expected this. I had to give him credit, he didn't stammer when we dropped the bars. He just stood there, as if something had knocked him out. Cornelia made handcuffs, securing him tightly. All the while, he stared at me. It looked as if he wanted to tell me something, but I didn't wait. I opened a fold to Kandrakar and nodded for Hay Lin and Taranee to take him there. I did not want to risk him escaping.

"So, Kandrakar finally sends its lackeysss."

I frowned as I turned to Cedric. He seemed less perturbed by our arrival. Instead he sat back, almost in a leisure fashion. I smiled wryly at him.

"Yes, so sorry we have to part you from your love," I said as I prepared to drop his bars.

Cedric hissed another laugh, shaking his head ever so gently.

"My dear Guardian. That would be the least of my concerns."

He didn't elaborate. Instead he looked at us, extremely pleased as we only eyed him in confusion. He too didn't bother to fight back. I made a mental note to ask Elyon about this. Both were being way too docile. But I wasn't going to question it now. I made a new fold and guided Cedric through it, along with Irma and Cornelia.

Upon our arrival in Kandrakar, we were immediately met by two knights in white armour. It was the first time I'd seen them. It took me by surprise and I went to stand in front of Cedric, sparking in warning. Irma and Cornelia acted accordingly, flanking Cedric and readying their magic as well.

"Stand aside, Guardian. We'll take the prisoner from you," one of the men said.

I was ready to argue with him about it, when Taranee and Hay Lin approached from behind. A quick telepathic conversation ensured me that they spoke true. I stepped aside, slightly irritated, and the two knights took a hold of Cedric. As he was dragged away, the snake couldn't resist to look back at us once more. A smug grin formed on his lips, one I did not like.

"The Oracle wants to see us before we go back home."

I nodded absentmindedly at Taranee, still looking at Cedric's retreating back. I really disliked that man. I pulled my attention away from him and the five of us made our way to the Congregation Hall. A silence ruled as we entered. I was almost certain I could read some disdainful approval. At least it was better than the looks of disappointment we usually got. We took our position in front of the Oracle and waited.

"Guardians, you've done well. The Prince Phobos and Lord Cedric will be confined in the Tower of Mists until their trial," the Oracle said.

I nodded, glad that we were finally done with those two. If they escaped here, they wouldn't get as far as they would on Meridian. And they wouldn't be capable of doing a lot of damage either.

"As for the trial, Kandrakar wishes that you provide any evidence to support either their guilt or innocence. The two criminals shall be punished according to the material that is found."

I closed my eyes for a moment. I should have known we weren't done yet. Some indistinctive groans came from behind me. I let out a deep sigh and looked up.

"Until when do we have to gather all the evidence?" I asked.

The Oracle smiled at me. This was one of those moments where I really despised his smile. From my current disposition, it looked like he knew that we had no other choice but to obey him and he seemed to enjoy that.

"You have a total of seven weeks to prepare. I shall await your evidence with zeal."

I made a quick count in my head. Seven weeks would probably be with this one included. Cornelia, Taranee and Hay Lin would be gone for three weeks, we still had that royal meeting thing of Elyon a week after they returned. That left us with three weeks of gathering information. I would say that was enough time to figure things out.

I nodded and bowed to the Oracle. He nodded in return and gestured us to leave. We silently turned around and left. This time a random member of the Council guided us to the Folding Chambers. His face was rigid all the way to the chambers. I had the feeling he didn't like us a lot. I didn't mention it. I merely nodded my head gratefully before he left us and we took our leave.

After leaving the fold we now stood in the slightly damp and warmed basement of the Silver Dragon. Above the clattering of cutlery and dishes was intertwined with the almost melodic vibrations of the many voices of the guests.

"Seven weeks is quite a lot. Do you think they actually kept our schedules in mind?" Cornelia said.

I shrugged.

"Be as it may, we got the time. We might as well use it," I said.

"Speaking about time, isn't your birthday this Friday?"

I froze. I had wanted to leave, but now my hand dug into the banister. A weak smile formed on my lips as I sheepishly turned around. Irma stood there behind me, crossing her arms and grinning at me. Cornelia cocked a bemused eyebrow. Taranee was too busy cleaning her glasses while Hay Lin was already jumping up and down. A deep sigh left my lips.

"Just promise me it won't be something big like you did last time. I won't be fooled again."

"You and me both," Irma said, glaring at Cornelia, who innocently shrugged.

"It's not like you didn't enjoy yourselves," she said.

It had started to rain outside, the drops tapping loudly on the small basement window. I glanced up for a moment, sighing deeply. Of course I didn't bring an umbrella.

"You didn't have to clean it up," Irma said.

A new fight was about to come up, when Hay Lin jumped in. She hugged the two closely while staring at me with a big smile. The rain outside seemed to lessen slightly.

"Don't worry Will! I got them under control. Just us, Matt and Caleb will be there," she said.

I smiled weakly. I wasn't certain how well Hay Lin could control those two.

Days passed. My most dreaded day – my birthday – arrived. My mom gave me an unreasonable amount of cookies to hand out. And complaining about it wouldn't lessen the amount. However, there was no big spectacle at school. Matt surprised me with a small present – a bracelet – and a kiss. The day continued. And as school ended, I could just go home. The girls promised they would see me tonight. I could only shake my head and make a mental note that I would organize my own birthday next year.

At home, I was greeted by my mother and Dean. My mother was supposed to be working, but had taken half a day off to spend the day with me. Dean was there because… Well, I wouldn't know why, but I did enjoy his company weirdly enough. He had a surprising good taste in music and made quite a cake. The gifts weren't bad either. I'd been dying to get a new cell phone. Just because all my appliances could talk, it didn't mean they couldn't die. My cell phone stopped working after perhaps the 600th time I dropped it. He could still talk to me, but I couldn't call with it, or use the screen. So the shared gift of my mom and Dean was a new smart phone. One which I would try to keep whole. I hoped.

My day seemed to progress as normal, when a surprise visit of Serena caught me off guard. I'd been busy installing and getting to know my new smart phone (a male I called Henry, who was surprisingly good-natured and had a knack for puns) and hadn't even realised the door bell rang. When my mom alerted me for the third time, I got up, surprised that the girls were early. Instead, Serena stood at the door step with a smile.

To be hugged by my very soon-to-be stepmom was always awkward. Even more so when my real mom was watching. I glanced at her, but I could see she was really trying to hide any hostile feelings she had for Serena. I could tell, because I could feel them. She smiled and gave Serena the customary handshake before Serena turned to me.

"So. Ready for your party?"

My eyes widened. I looked at my mother, who now smiled a little guiltily. I looked back at Serena, who probably mistook my silence as cropped up anticipation. Her hand grasped my arm and I was pulled away. I could hear my mom and Dean call after me, telling me to enjoy today. I kept silent.

Serena drove me to my dad's apartment. During the car ride, she tried to make small talk, asking me how my birthday was till now and if I liked my presents. I answered as nicely as possible, firing into a full blown explanation about my new phone. I finished just as we arrived in the garage of the building. During my explanation, I also kept an eye on any new messages I might get, but the girls remained stubbornly quiet. I just hoped they read my message that I was now at my dad's.

Serena helped me out of the car and after some persuasion, I ended up with a blindfold. She guided me through the building. I thought the blindfold to be entirely unnecessary. I knew the building and it wasn't like my dad would have a lot of presents. The fact that he missed years of my birthdays wasn't something he could cover up with celebrating it today. I wasn't going to blame it on him or complain. I've learned that my family is a little messy, and no one can take the blame for that.

"Ready?"

The brimming excitement I've been feeling from Serena ever since we left the car was now clearly audible in her voice. A lopsided smile formed on my lips.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I said, trying to keep my annoyance out of my voice and failing to do so.

I heard the door open and I was pushed slightly to enter. I huffed as I finally removed my blindfold. At first I had to get used to the lights. As I blinked the first light away, I noticed excitement all around me. A second later, my eardrums were nearly blown out by a loud 'Happy birthday!'

It was obvious Hay Lin hadn't managed to keep Irma and Cornelia under control. Amongst the people gathered I recognized the swimming team, Martin, Nigel, Eric, Caleb, some girls with whom I saw Cornelia talk every once in a while, Alchemy and Matt. My look of betrayal was enough for the girls to be the first to hug me. Mostly to ask for forgiveness. My answer remained unspoken as my father was quick to congratulate me, before the rest came up and did the same. I made a lot of forced small talk, made a bet with a girl from my swimming team about the next match we had and received a ton of presents, including a new watch from my father and a promise that Serena and I would go on a shopping spree. I wasn't particularly happy with the latter, but I could see she desperately tried to get some sort of bond with me. And after me mistaking her for Nerissa, I felt like I owed her that much.

Finally finding some rest from the people and the music, I found the girls. All smiling smugly, I couldn't help but reply the gesture. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"No big party, huh?"

Sheepish smiles were the reply. Cornelia flipped her hair and crossed her arms, clearly not believing she did anything wrong.

"Oh, don't complain. You got more presents than you would with the usual band," Irma said with a wink.

I rolled my eyes. I didn't particularly like celebrating my birthday. I didn't do it for the gifts anyway. Most of them were bath stuff anyway, or some frog trinket. I liked frogs, but I only had so many options where I could hang my new keychains on.

"Speaking about presents, Caleb has something he wanted to give you without everyone else standing around you. I'll go get him."

With that Hay Lin shot away, looking for Caleb amongst the small crowd of people in my dad's apartment. I looked back at the others, to see Cornelia frown a bit. Probably annoyed that Hay Lin knew something about Caleb she didn't. She saw me looking and smiled, raising a glass.

"To Will, sixteen years down, many more to go!"

A good distraction as any. The other girls raised their glasses. I felt a blush rushing up as I too raised mine. After the toast I could hear my dad talking to Serena. Only a short moment, as his temperament flared up for a moment, catching my attention.

"I told you, I'm certain of it. That man has been having luck with his fishing for a few good months. I can invest in him without it being a risky gamble!"

"Tony, please. Think it over for a few more days. Promise me," Serena said.

I admitted, I didn't believe that Serena would convince my dad. I'd seen this scenario play out a dozen of times with my mom and dad. He would promise her and still do it anyway. And just as it went with my mom, so did this little play continue with Serena. He took her in his arms, kissed her forehead and promised her he would think about it. I pursed my lips together and looked away. I got angry just by looking at it. Making a promise you would break anyway, was making no promise at all. I sighed deeply before trying to tune in to the conversation between the girls.

" _You okay?"_ Taranee said.

I noticed her looking at me, mildly concerned at my obvious irritation. I smiled at her and shook my head.

" _Just a trip down memory lane. I'm fine,"_ I said.

"And I'm telling you, my dad has never seen so many missing children reports in his life. He reckons some child slavers are taking advantage of the quiet harbour and infrequent controls."

I frowned. I'd noticed one or two missing child posters through the city. It was unnerving to know that kids were taken away. Especially as some were my age. It wouldn't take long or my parents, or the parents of the others, would make a hassle about getting home before dark, or not being allowed to travel at home.

"Don't tell me. My mom has forbidden me to walk the streets when it gets dark. She's the one picking me _and_ Nigel up from the party," Taranee said.

A bemused smirk formed on my lips. Of all the kids that could get kidnapped, the five of us were the ones who would be the safest. Our parents didn't know that, but it was obvious that the worried parenting was a little annoying for some of us.

"Come on Taranee. What would you do if those kidnappers attacked you and Nigel? Wait until he is unconscious before whipping out your flames? Or just scare him along with the attackers? You know he is not going to hide while you fight them off," Irma said, with the same smirk on her face as me.

Instead of glaring at Irma for the remark, Taranee's cheeks turned a tint of pink. She looked almost guiltily at me as she pursed her lips.

"Well…" she began. "I was thinking…if you all agree, but perhaps…It's a good idea to let our boyfriends in the know?"

I grimaced at the idea. There was no way in telling if their relationships would last. And what if they broke up and the boys got vengeful enough to tell others? Granted, they would look like crazy people, but they could very well just warn our parents whenever we went off world. And if that happened, our parents would find out. And…

My thoughts were quickly turning into a jumbled mess as I stared at Taranee. She didn't look at me anymore. Instead, her glass seemed to be oddly interesting to her.

"So you and Hay tell your guys, and I still can't tell anyone? That's not fair!" Irma said.

Cornelia cocked an eyebrow. "Who do you want to tell it to?"

For a brief moment, I could see Irma's eyes wander away to the group of boyfriends in question. Matt and Caleb were missing, but Eric, Nigel and Martin were still standing there, talking about something or another. Irma huffed and crossed her arms.

"I'm just saying, it's not fair that you all have someone to share this with and I'm stuck with you guys," she said.

"I'm sorry?" an awkward male voice said.

I looked passed Irma, seeing Matt, Caleb and Hay Lin standing behind her. Hay Lin had missed the conversation, but hugged Irma nonetheless, telling her she wouldn't let her best friend down. Both boys seemed to be slightly confused. Matt approached me and gave me a peck on my cheek, while silently asking what he missed.

"You don't have to apologize Caleb, Irma is a little cranky," Cornelia said, kissing him on the cheek.

"I'm not cranky. I just want it to be fair!"

Before anyone could reply, I stepped in.

"Well, then you get to choose one person as well," I said.

The looks of disbelief I got were hilarious. I wouldn't be surprised if a list of complaints was being formed in their minds. So I raised a hand and continued.

"But. Keep in mind that the person you tell, will keep our secret. You have to be certain that, whatever may happen in the future, this person will not tell it to anyone. No matter what fight you might get, our secret remains safe. Don't believe that everyone will think of them as crazy when they speak about magic. You are giving them the key to our normal lives. The moment our secret is out, our normal lives are gone."

As I finished, an uncomfortable silence fell. Hay Lin and Taranee both looked at each other, now less certain about what they wanted to do. Irma too didn't seem to be so eager to share our secret. I couldn't blame them. When Matt knew, I was so happy. It was a burden that left me. But a lingering worry remained. The same one I mentioned. Only now that he is a Regent, that worry disappeared as well. Because we both know that if one of us spills the beans about the other, the other will repay in kind.

"I…"

I placed a hand on Hay Lin's shoulder. She looked worried, her eyes going from Eric to me and back.

"Think about it. If you are certain, alert the rest and tell them. For now, let's enjoy today."

With that I hugged her, hoping to wipe some of her worries away. I smiled at the others before turning to Caleb. Best thing to do now, was to erase the topic all together.

"Caleb, Hay Lin said you had something for me?"

Caleb, who'd been looking at the group for a moment, his eyes thoughtful, lit up. He shook his head briefly and caught my glance. What I liked about him, was that he knew how to manage a group. He only had to share a short glance with me to know what I was doing. So he erased the stern gaze he had and formed a more joyous one.

"Yes. My Q… I mean, Elyon wished to give you this, but couldn't attend due to obvious reasons."

With that he handed me a large rectangular package in brown paper. As Cornelia said something about the wrapping, I quickly ripped it away. Underneath it I recognized the crimson binding and the golden letters. This was the book I was flicking through on the day of our last mission to Arkhanta. The letters gleamed in the light of the room and I smiled broadly at Caleb. Irma frowned, while Taranee had already moved to take a better look at the book. I gave it to her to look through.

"Thank you, Caleb. Are you certain Elyon won't miss it?"

He shrugged. "She told me you can have it. She has a copy of it anyway. And currently studying old Meridian so she can continue with the next book."

"Good to know I need to study a language if I ever want to read the sequel," I muttered.

"A book? Elyon gave you a book? What for?" Irma scoffed.

I gently took the book from Taranee's prying fingers. A soft cry of dislike left her lips. I slammed it shut and showed the title to Irma. A groan left her lips.

"To practice, of course," I said with a smile.

 _ **[A/N] A final chapter before the new year. Sorry for the long wait and I hope you all enjoyed it! See you lot in the next year and don't forget. I live on reviews. xx  
**_


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